New Perspective
by stoicpoppies
Summary: "I had never really thought about what dying would be like. Surely, I never in a million years would have believed you if you told me that when I died, I'd be born again into a fictional universe where Rin Nohara was my sister. That just reeks of disaster." Obito/Rin, and future ships that have yet to set sail.
1. The Prologue:

•

 **The Prologue: Wherein an idiot dies because of a dare, a baby is born and the fabric of the universe is** **ripped.**

•

I feel like I should be starting this off by telling you my earlier assumptions of what death was, and what it was not; but that would only lead to me telling you that I really hadn't assumed anything. I didn't know if it was a bottomless void, a recycled life as an ant or a reach-around from Jesus. I had never really cared, either. Dying was one of those things that are definitely going to happen to you and to everybody and everything someday, but at the same time, it wasn't. I was the kind of person that would say, "If I die" instead of "When I die".

I would like to say in conjunction with that, that I knew I wasn't invincible. I had broken my arm, bled from a scraped knee and had every second that I had ever experienced flash before my eyes in a car accident, but death had resulted in none of those events. I guess my thought process, without ever really having a thought about it, had been "Well, shit. Haven't died yet, won't die tomorrow." I was healthy, barely seventeen and was several houses down from Death's doorstep. I, because apparently I was worthy of eternal life, was not going to die.

But I did. And unfortunately, it was entirely my fault, because I'm a fucking tool that makes _very_ bad decisions.

I was intoxicated- very much so. I was also a little high, a little depressed and a little bit more peer pressured than I was willing to admit. I had spent the weeks and months before this day relentlessly beating into my own head the equations and the facts I would need for the SAT exams, and the only way for me to release built up frustration other than breaking things, was an obscene amount of alcohol and other slightly more illegal substances. So therefore, I, along with a few kind of-friends and a maybe-boyfriend did one of those things- the one that did the least amount of damage to our surroundings, but likely damage to our livers and brain cells.

We were on the beach, but my mind was a million miles away from them and from myself. It was nearly five in the morning, and to everyone it concerned (I.e. my parents), I was tucked into my bed with the weight of the exams that determined my future off of my already worn shoulders. But I wasn't, and at that point I really wished that I had been. They were talking loud, but I wasn't at all. I never had doubted that anyone of them would pass, and I don't think they did, either. I had pumped my heart with so much anxiety beforehand that I was heavily unsure of my success, and as much as I just wanted to feel hollow, I didn't. It was one of the rare times when alcohol had failed me.

"A-aye, uh, Leda, are you l-listening?" the sentence was spoken in between hiccups, and I almost didn't hear it over the sound of the relentless wind around me. It was that maybe-boyfriend I had mentioned before, his hand on my thigh and a joint being passed from him to the twat sitting next to him. I had in fact not been, so I shook my head for my answer. He looked a bit aggravated, but filled me in on what I had missed. "I said it's your turn." It was then that I noticed two of the girls that were presumably straight were practically eating each other, their boyfriends transfixed on them like they were twelve and seeing a titty for the first time.

"'The fuck for?" Had been my reply. I snatched the bottle of vodka from the person sitting next to me and swallowed half of it in one hard gulp. I was entirely underwhelmed, and was pretty sure that whatever they were playing, I wasn't interested in being a part of. But I would end up being, anyway, and he knew it, too. He not-so-gently took the bottle from my hands and downed the rest of it, wiping any of the remains from his lips on his sleeve. He wasn't a bad person, but he definitely wasn't an incredible one, either. I should've just stuck with girls.

"Truth," A loud burp, directed in the face of the twat from earlier. "…or dare." And apparently, we were twelve. I looked to him, to the seven others sitting in the circle whose eyes were now on me, and my long fingers that were digging their nails into the skin on my knees. I felt like that one basic white kid in the straw-man scenarios they present to you during D.A.R.E, and they were the sketchy hood rats forcing cannabis into my lungs (even though I was the one that scored the pot, but I digress). If I just said, "Fuck you", I'd never hear the end of it. So I weighed my options. Truth, and I knew exactly what they'd ask about me- do you miss girls? Would you ever have a threesome?-or something equally as sexual and generally stupid. And I knew that if I chose dare, they'd demand I kiss my ex-girlfriend that came tonight just to spite me, or to go down on my dumb boyfriend in front of everyone, because that's what happened last time and they were incredibly predictable. If my best friend hadn't been in college half way across the country, I wouldn't even be seen with these knobs.

But I suppose that's ancient history now.

I sighed, letting the breath out through my nostrils. The sharp, salty air whipped strands of my hair across my face, the impact leaving a slight sting. I looked beyond the head of the person sitting across from me, to the roaring waves of the ocean. As I listened to the loudness of the waves as they slapped together, I felt an odd sense of calm wash over me. It was that moment that I realized that I didn't care what they decided they wanted to hear or see me do, and I think that revelation startled me more than anything they could ever throw at me. I guess the prospect of a directionless future could cause a person extreme mental distress. Who knew?

"Dare." The word left my lips with little conviction. They looked a little surprised, and I was too, in a way. An action held so much more weight than a forced confession, but there was something deep within myself that was saying, "Fuck it." So figuratively, I did.

"Ok, ok…good choice." The probably-won't-be-for-long boyfriend said then, and despite the darkness I saw a glint in his eyes that couldn't have held any innocent intentions. "I dare you," He looked over his shoulder at the raging waves behind him, then the small cliff that people often dived into the water off of. My eyes widened slightly, but the alcohol that was running through my veins at the moment prevented me from feeling any trepidation of the events to come. "…I dare you, to strip butt ass naked, jump into the water from that big ass rock and skinny dip." There was a gasp or two, a few laughs and several people that looked at him like he was insane, but I was among none of them. I was way more drunk than I ever should have considered being, and any inhibitions I had had earlier in the day were long gone. I let my head fall back, a small laugh emanating from my throat.

"Y…you know what? Fuck it. Fuck it! Fine. Fine, I'll do it." I stumbled as I stood, being caught by the genius that came up with this bright idea and the girl that had been sitting on my other side. They all gave me questioning looks, and more than half of them asked me to sit down, called my boyfriend a shithead and threatened to call the cops. That idea was quickly demolished by the fact that we had almost a full bag of weed, two more cases of beer and a bottle of rum sitting out in plain sight. I drug my feet through the sand, the granules getting under my nails and in between my toes. On the way, I peeled off my clothes, throwing them in places I might not find them later, but didn't care. I laughed and skipped, tripping several times as people tried to catch up to me as my skip turned into a jog. Tears wanted to fall from my eyes, but I couldn't find a good reason to let them. I was a solid swimmer, and had swam drunk plenty of times, even if an ocean is entirely different than a pool. I pulled myself up the rocks, the jagged edges scratching my skin. I got to the top, and was quickly surrounded by the people that were begging me not to do it, and in hindsight, I should have listened to them. But I guess thats why they say it's 20/20.

I stared down at the water, pulling off my underwear in the process. I brushed the hair out of my face with trembling hands, raking my nails over my scalp as I did so. I didn't have to do this. I could climb back down, find my clothes and go home. I didn't have anything to prove to them; no, but I felt like it was something I needed to prove to myself. I always let my anxiety and insecurities hold me back, from social situations to things I wanted to achieve. I was a pussy, and I didn't know if I thought that jumping into the goddamn ocean would prove that I wasn't, but I was gonna do it anyway.

"Honestly, Leddy, I didn't think you'd make it this far. Shanes' got most of your clothes, we could just head back." I felt his hand on my shoulder, but shook it off with one sloppy motion. I felt… surprisingly content. The shore wasn't far from where I'd be landing. I could swim back to land with ease. I'd be fine. I wasn't going to die. Then, once that was over, I was going the fuck home whether if I had to walk or not.

"No…no, I've got this." Despite that, he caught a hold of my arm right before I jumped, and let go with a yell as I fell to the splashing waves. I yelped as the ice cold water permeated my senses, and my lungs took in a disgusting amount of salt water. I flailed my arms relentlessly, like I had somehow forgotten how to swim the second my body hit the water. Panic settled in quickly, and it was pretty much then that I realized I was in fact going to die, and it was entirely my fault.

It's an odd feeling, knowing that you're going to die. It's like the stages of grief are put on fast forward without a point where you can pause. I think what's worse, is that you go over all of the things you could have done differently to prevent this from happening. For some people, maybe they come to no conclusions. This was bound to happen. But for me, every single second of my death could have been avoided, had I made one decision differently. But I stopped thinking about that, after a while. My body was just as weak and tired as my mind was, and after several minutes that had drug on like hours had passed, I stopped fighting. And it was terrible, because my last thought before I left was how I would have managed had I not passed my SATs. Here is where I usually would've made a snide remark about how utterly fucked the American school system was, but there was a time and place for everything, and this wasn't it.

And even though I knew my heart had stopped beating, I could faintly identify the sound of another body splashing into the water. Instead of arms wrapping around my shoulders to pull me up, what felt like strong arms tightened around my thighs, pulling me deeper and deeper into the water below. I looked up for a split second, and saw what I guess was my body being pulled to the surface. For several moments, I felt nothing. It was like my conscience was simply existing in a void of complete nothingness. And then, it was white. A bright, glaring sort of whiteness that wouldn't disappear even if you closed your eyes.

I wondered then if I had been able to tell the tale, if this would prove someone's right and wrong about dying. There was a definite disconnect between me and my body, and this was definitely a blinding white light, sans gates. So what did this prove? What was happening? Was I in heaven? If I was, did I even deserve it? But none of those questions really got an answer, because it was then that I was suddenly screaming, and my lungs felt very, very small. And it was then, that I realized that everything I had never assumed about death was neither wrong nor right. Because there had been a blinding white, a bottomless void and a moment where my physical body and spiritual had been severed, and then the latter sewn back onto something entirely different. Except, I was _definitely_ not an ant.


	2. Chapter One:

**Chapter One: Wherein a name is given, a baby** **thinks too much and a war begins.**

•

 **"…I wondered then if I had been able to tell the tale,** **if this would prove someone's right and wrong about** **death. So what did this** **prove? What was happening? Was I in heaven? If I** **was, did I even deserve it? But none of those** **questions really got an answer, because it was** **then that I was suddenly** **screaming, and my lungs felt very, very small. And it** **was then, that I realized that everything I had never** **assumed about death was neither wrong nor right.** **Because there had been a blinding white, a** **bottomless void and a moment where my physical** **body and spiritual had been severed, and then the** **latter sewn back onto something entirely different.**

 **Except, I was _definitely_ not an ant."**

•

Have you ever slept for so long that, when you do finally wake up, your eyes are hard to open? That they feel like they had been glued shut in the time you had been asleep? That's the only thing I can really think of to describe what it's like to open a new set of eyes for the very first time. Everyone was a blob. Really, _really_ grabby-handed and loud as all hell blobs. I was passed from this person to the next; each of them speaking hurriedly in a language that was _so_ not English, but a language that I was currently in the process of learning how to speak.

My mom would be pouting right now, proven wrong that my three years of high school Japanese wasn't a waste of my time. Sure, right now I couldn't really pay attention to _what in the fuck_ anyone was saying, but it was better than being born again into a place where the common language was something you'd have to start from scratch. _Wait a damn minute._ Born again? That really was the only conclusion that really made a bit of sense. I was screaming, I was minuscule in size, and I was naked. Oh, _god._ Now I'm panicking.

I felt so incredibly small, literally and figuratively. The cherry on this shit-fest Sunday was that every muscle, every nerve in this little vessel was on fire. I didn't know if this was normal, or if something was severely wrong with me. But what the hell would be normal anymore? I died like, ten minutes ago, and was now apparently reincarnated somewhere in Japan. Jesus, what had I been thinking?

I didn't stop screaming, even when I was wrapped in a blanket and sat on someone's chest. She smelled sweaty, and her skin was damp and clammy. Her eyes were weary to match her smile, and tears started to fall down her cheeks. Someone put a large hand on my head, that I realized if it were to be squeezed, I could very easily be crushed. I shakily turned my eyes in his direction, and could really only focus on the shiny plate that was resting on his forehead, and the _hideous_ , baby shit green vest he was wearing. Both of these things seemed alarmingly familiar to me then, but I was too tired, too confused and too scared to think about where I knew them from. Absently, the woman ran her thumb over my cheek, her other hand wiping away the stray tears that were still on hers.

 _"Kon'nichiwa, Hanami-chan."_

•

Something incredibly disheartening became evident; I had been born prematurely. If I had pieced together what the doctors and my parents had said correctly, then I was around six to seven weeks early. I was already a goddamn baby, but then pile on all of the potential health problems I could have from being born before my due-date. Who was making the shots, here? What about my actions in life had been so deplorable that I deserved this? As the days dragged on, a horrible, sickening realization struck me. The person who I had become in seventeen years, the features I knew better than anyone else's, meant nothing. I, as I had existed as Leda Duffy, was gone. The only thing still connecting me to her was my memories of the life that was once mine. I knew if I were able to look in the mirror now, I'd probably have a physiological break. This body… this body was _fragile,_ and _weak_ , and I didn't know how long it would take until it would feel like it belonged to me.

I spent the first three weeks of this life in the care of the hospital staff, my crib being some variation of a NICCU. My parents came by a lot, mainly my mom. Every time I saw them, I noticed something odd about their appearance; like the way they dressed, the strange markings on my dad's face and the headband I hardly ever saw him without. Each day, my eyes improved, and each day, I was able to see a bit more of the symbol that was engraved on that _goddamned_ headband. Trying to remember why it was nagging so bad in the back of my mind felt like reaching for something, but your fingers aren't long enough to grasp it. It was the most infuriating thing I had ever felt, and the only way this body knew how to express that anger was cry, so I did. _A lot._ You would think that after two weeks had passed, I would've come any closer to understanding where I was. I could faintly make out that symbol now, but yet, that wasn't what had kicked the hornet's nest. No, it was the first meeting I had had with my older sister.

It had been in the early morning, and she came in with my mother. The doctors were confident enough in my progress that they were letting people handle me for longer. They took me from my make-shift crib and placed me into her gentle arms. She looked delicate, but not in the same way that I did. I blinked slowly up at her smiling face, and for the first time, I felt like I could really see what was in front of me. When I did, it felt like my entire world had imploded on itself. Her hair was cut into a bob, and the purple markings my father also wore, were on either side of her face. It was different, though, seeing them on her. It was like those markings were pieces to a puzzle that had been found, and I could finally complete the horrifying picture they created. Those markings strung a cord within my memory that I feel like had been repressing itself, in fear of what would happen, should I remember.

 _Rin Nohara._

 _Rin Nohara,_ catalyst for the Fourth Shinobi World War.

But most importantly _, Rin Nohara,_ product of Masashi Kishimoto's imagination. A character in his famous manga, Naruto _._

It was so absurd, I wanted to laugh and cry all at once.

The _fucking_ headband, that ugly _fucking_ vest, and these stupid _fucking_ face markings. I should have realized this sooner. But holy shit, this was stupid. This was dumb. This was the most retarded thing that had ever happened to me, at any point in my entire existence. People don't just fall out of infinity and into a goddamn fictional universe. Naruto was _not_ real, Rin Nohara was _not_ real, none of this could possibly be actually happening. This… this was a dream. All of this had to be a dream. This was so fucking ludicrous, this had to just be a dream my weeb mind had concocted. I probably hit my head on a rock on my way down from my dive. I was probably in a coma. This is the kind of shit that happens in fanfictions, and bad ones.

So I laughed. I laughed, for what was probably the first time in months. I didn't even mind that the sound was definitely not my laugh, but a baby's. I didn't even mind when everyone began to ooh and ahh, and I didn't mind being put back into the plastic cage that was currently my home. I was the literal embodiment of the phrase, "I can't even". I spent the rest of the day and night going in and out of sleep, but mainly staring up at the ceiling and wondering if I could throw myself out of the fucking window.

I mean, how the hell was I supposed to respond to this? If this was really, actually happening, what the fuck? Did this somehow play into the multiverse theory? How is something so impossible suddenly possible? And if it was just a dream, which it totally, probably was, when was I going to wake up? And if it were a dream, why were the days dragging on like they normally did? The more I thought about it, the more my brain hurt and the more I cried, so I stopped myself. I would wake up. Everything would be fine.

But every time I _did_ wake up, I was exactly where I was, in the same useless body I had fallen asleep in. There was no escaping this, and the more that fact settled into my core, the more and more hopeless I felt. So the days and weeks dragged on, and eventually months. I had been taken home after living in the hospital after three weeks, and settled into a routine filled with a lot of self-loathing and constant questions of the injustice of the universe.

During this time, Rin, even more so than my mother and father, showered me in unconditional love. It was weird. Not like I had never experienced love or some angsty character background like that, but I had never really been dealt it from a sibling, despite having six of them previously. She loved me so fully and so selflessly that after four months as her little sister, I started to feel anger. Not for myself, but for the fact that the only purpose she had originally served was a vehicle for war. The more I let the anger fester, the hotter it burned. But love also began to grow in my heart for her, both fortunately and unfortunately for my sanity. She was the greatest and worst distraction from the fact I had been reduced to a screaming, crying potato.

I would also like to say, that I don't want you to think I thought my parents were bad parents, just because I seem to have taken to Rin more than them. They were just insanely busy already, without the stress of a new baby. My father had been a chūnin instructor at the academy, and my mother a jōnin level field medic. There really wasn't a maternal leave in the current employment system, so she could only stay home so long. After that time was up, she began shifts at the hospital to make end's meat. Even more so than his own children, my dad's entire thought process was "kids, kids, and more kids". He lived, breathed and practically fucking ate being a teacher. So Rin would come home, my mom would go to work and a lot of days, Rin and I would be by ourselves until late in the evening.

She taught me how to play Hanafuda, helped me pick up where I left off as far as learning Japanese went, and taught me more and more about the do's and don'ts of her culture that I had never considered before. Honestly, I was surprised my parents had seen my first steps instead of it just being Rin. She made me feel like the situation I was in wasn't exactly so awful. It actually was, but hiding from reality, even for only a few fleeting moments, is sometimes better than facing it. So I let these people love me, and let myself love them a little, too. I let them help me through the horrible frustration of my legs failing me as I tried to walk; I let them feed me, because holy shit, babies have zero hand-eye coordination. I let myself feel like maybe this was ok, and maybe a new sort of normal.

But once again, the universe bent me over a table and royally fucked me into oblivion, for the second of many times to come.

It was the 21st of January, eleven days from my first birthday when shit hit the fan. We had been eating dinner, my mom feeding me as Rin spoke of her day. There were still some words that that my brain failed to translate into English, but just like with walking, I had to take baby steps. As she reached the tail end of her story, there was a sudden change in both of my parent's demeanors that caused her to pause. Then, a knock at the door caused them to look from one another, to Rin, and then to me. Even though I had no clue was going on, I still felt the gravity of the impending situation; it weighed heavily on both mine and Rin's chests.

"I'll get it." The words came surprisingly soft from my mother, who brushed the wrinkles out of her thick winter yukata as she stood. Our dad then motioned to the sitting room with his head, silently demanding that we wait there until they knew what was happening. Rin scooped me up in her arms, looking over her shoulder at him one last time, before she slid the door connecting our kitchen from the rest of the house shut. I clung to the front of her blouse as she ran a shaky hand over the back of my small head. I looked up at the ceiling, as if I would find the answer to the meaning of life in its mundane whiteness. Then the door was slid back open, and we saw our mother standing there in full uniform. By the look they shared, I knew shit was about to get real.

How real exactly, I would find out later.

"Mama, I… is it bad?" I knew by the tone of her voice that she already knew the answer. I was sat down, my knees buckling slightly before I steadied myself. Instinctively, I began tugging at the hem of my dress out of nervousness, and the urge to bite my nails was almost overwhelming, but I refrained. There were a million thoughts running through my head at a mile a minute, and I could only imagine how everyone else felt.

She dodged the question, and instead pulled a backpack around Rin's shoulders. "Go with Kakashi-kun. He'll keep you safe." My eyes widened, and I jerked my head up and looked beyond where my mom was standing. There, in the dim light of the threshold stood a boy barely taller than my sister, the weapon he held at his side looking out of place in his hand. I didn't know if it was the look in his eyes or the simple fact I was staring down the _Kakashi motherfuckin' Hatake_ , but the panic that was wringing out my heart squeezed even tighter. _Holy balls._ This is probably the start of the Third Shinobi World War, and I hadn't even realized it. My parents were going off to fight enemy ninja. This was legitimately, actually happening. This shit was not a game.

"Now, don't cry, Hanami-chan. You have to be strong." My mother wiped away tears from my eyes that I hadn't even noticed I had begun to shed. Kakashi scoffed, and looked away as our mom embraced us. As I breathed in her scent, I couldn't help but feel like it was the last time I would ever be wrapped in her arms. That thought scared me, even though I desperately wished that it hadn't.

"There isn't any time for this." Kakashi suddenly barked, and I wondered absently if he was just peanut butter and jealous because his parents were dead, and ours currently were not. Probably, but now was not the time to be laughing at my own jokes. Definitely not.

"He's right, Reika." It was weird, hearing my dad's voice sound so serious. He was usually the kind of dad that stuck chop sticks in his nose and acted like a walrus, not the dad that had his brow furrowed with a grim frown instead of a smile. Our mom looked at Rin and I one last time and sighed, before standing from her perch on her knee and walking towards the door with our father in tow. Kakashi roughly took my sisters hand, the other one grabbing me by the back of my collar, before maneuvering his arm until it was wrapped around my small torso. Despite the steady look in his eye, I could hear his heart hammering against his rib cage. He was just as scared as everyone else, and it made him feel a bit more human.

He made a quick exit from our house, not even bothering to shut the door behind us. The air was harsh, and it prickled my lungs as I inhaled it. The ground and rooftops were coated with a thin layer of snow. I shivered and clung to Kakashi's shirt, and he made quick work of strapping me to his chest and getting Rin situated on his back. The ground shook suddenly, and the urgency in their expressions became even more evident.

"Kakashi-kun." it was my mother again, one hand wrapped around my father's and the other on her weapon holster. "You be safe, too." he nodded at her once and waited not a second longer before he darted away and onto the top of a building. I spared one last look in their direction, but they were already gone. In the distance, towards the gates of the village, an explosion sounded through the air. Rin jumped slightly, but Kakashi kept moving.

"They'll be fine." It didn't come off reassuring, but I don't think that's what he was going for, anyway. I felt my stomach contort anxiously. This wasn't going to end well, and we all knew it.

•

The "safe zone" we were taken to was actually just a gigantic room under the Hokage's residence. It was packed to the brim with bodies, ranging from ages of infancy all the way into their early teens. Kakashi got out of there as quickly as possible, leaving us without a word and a puff of smoke. Rin carried me in her arms, the look on her face beyond frightened and incredibly unsure. I wanted to calm her. I wanted to say something that would make things ok, but I couldn't. There was nothing that I could convey to her that would make this suck ass out loud any less. The village was under siege, our parents were off defending said village and we were stuffed into a sweaty ass room with no familiar faces in sight. Practically all of the civilian kids were crying, all of the genin were talking up a shit storm about how they should be out there fighting, too, despite their lack of experience. I clung to Rin like a lifeline, the only thing keeping me from crying and screaming being her familiar warmth.

"Rin! Rin-chan, is that you?" I had never heard the voice before, but I had a sinking feeling I knew exactly who it was. A boundless ball of energy nearly crashed into my sister, his body nothing but a blue and orange blur. If it hadn't already, I felt like my fucking heart was going to explode. Obito Uchiha stood in front of us, his outfit disheveled and his goggles crooked. My fist constricted tighter around the handful I had of my sister's shirt. I didn't want to be scared of him, but holy _FUCK_ , I was. I knew that Obito now compared to the person he would become were two completely separate people. But looking at him, regardless of his toothy grin and infectious giggle, was like staring down a volcano you knew was destined to erupt.

"Obito! Are you OK? Do you know what's going on?" The look on her face went from a meek kitten to a worried mother hen in the bat of an eye. She repositioned me until I was on her hip, and brushed her fingers over a series of cuts that littered Obito's cheekbone. I eyed him suspiciously, watching the way he reacted as the pads of my sister's finger tips came into contact with his skin. His cheeks became furiously red and a sheepish laugh escaped his lips. He may be adorable, but he was still a potential mass murderer.

"Oh, um… I don't actually know what's going on. Some random chūnin just showed up at the compound and brought me here. And I'm fine, I promise." it was then that his eyes finally wandered over to my perch on Rin's hip. A cheeky smile split across his face, and his fingers reached out to pinch my cheek. I let him do it, but reluctantly. "Ah, you must be Hanami-chan! Rin's told me all about you!" I wasn't looking at her face, but I knew she was blushing. I wanted to say something back, but I couldn't. Looking at Obito made my eyes flash of images of my sister getting a hole put through her chest, of Naruto being left on his own because Obito had killed his parents, of the war he would cause. It felt so incredibly surreal. He smiled so bright, and I was the only one that knew that it wasn't going to be long before that smile would disappear like the sun during the worst kind of storm. I hid my face in the crook of Rin's neck. I wasn't ready to look at him.

"She's just a little shy, Obito. She's never been around this many people before." That wasn't entirely wrong. I wasn't necessarily shy around Obito as much as I wanted to spray holy water on him and shout, _"BACK, FOUL DEMON!"_ and pray for his wretched soul, or something. I dunno. I'm not religious. But being around this many people at once in such a minuscule amount of space would have caused me before to have a pretty dramatic anxiety attack, and I was surprised it hadn't led to that, yet. Maybe I'd be lucky and all the mental baggage I had been carrying before would be left behind. Unfortunately, that wishful thought was squashed when I remembered the fact I literally am an entirely other person inhabiting the body of a fucking baby, memories intact. Shit was probably bound to get even worse.

 _Fuck me._

Obito had opened his mouth to retort, but then someone else thought it necessary to practically tackle my sister to the ground. A group of Interlopers of about Rin's age followed the pint-sized wrecking ball, their faces ranging from "wanna fight, mate" to extremely unimpressed. How ninja of them.

"Rin! I was so worried! Your house was so close to where the invasion had started, I didn't know if you would get here in time." The girl was almost in tears, and I knew by the wine color of her eyes that that was more than likely Kurenai Yūhi. Rin had mentioned her a few times, but my mom had this weird thing that she didn't want outsiders bringing in their germs and infecting me with some kind of illness, or something of the sort. Being a preemie lacked upsides.

"Kurenai and Obito have been absolutely flipping their shit because we couldn't find you. You get here alright?" His face prickled at something in my memory, but it was too innocent and not worn enough for me to make a definite connection. "Pop said Iwa started sending troops over about an hour and a half ago. He said it could get pretty ugly." Ah, Asuma. Yet another one of my sister's friends that was going to die horribly. _Wonderful_. I put two and two together and guessed that the others in their little cluster of ninja-to-be were Izumo and Kotetsu, and probably Ibiki and Genma, too. I was surprised Gai wasn't accounted for, but then again, I wasn't sure I could even handle all of that intense youth right now. Or his eyebrows.

"Yeah, we made it here fine. Kakashi-kun brought us." I heard a few of them scoff. I dunno if they were just a tad salty because Kakashi was barely older than them and already a battle ready chūnin, or if he was just a monumental prick to literally everyone. If my memory served me correctly, probably a cocktail of both. "Guys, come on. He was still our classmate. We should be proud that he was promoted to chūnin at such a young age." If it had been an appropriate time and place, she probably would've started gushing over him Sakura style. Thankfully, if wasn't.

"Yeah, it's cool that he's a chūnin now, sure. Doesn't mean he has to be an ass about it." It was Ibiki that spoke, and I was honestly pretty startled over how deep a nine year old's voice was. Puberty had him in a choke hold. Rin pursed her lips and didn't retort, and I guess she was admitting defeat. She knew Ibiki was one-hundred percent correct and everyone was thinking it. Obito, for the second time in a span of five minutes, had begun to say something before he was yet again interrupted.

"So, I'm gonna guess that's Hanami? She's awfully puny for a one year old." No fucking shit, Asuma. Who woulda thunk it. I stuck my tongue out at him and made a fart noise, feeling slightly satisfied when my sister's group of friends laughed. He flicked my nose and pulled away his finger right before I was able to bite it. I kept telling myself not to act so childish, but I guess that for now, I had a free pass. As my cheeks were pinched and tuff of hair ruffled, their expressions became less and less seized with fear. I ended up falling asleep not long after that, everyone settled in a circle somewhere off to the side of the safe zone. Rin had run her fingers over my forehead, and it wasn't until my eyes started to flutter close did I feel a hot, wet tear land on my cheek.

•

We were there until the late morning. I had slept all the way through the night, even when the ground started to shake violently and parts of the foundation of the Hokage's residence began to crumble. What did wake me up was Rin's gentle shaking as we were escorted to above ground by a few special jōnin. Rin had heavy bag under her eyes, and I suddenly felt guilty that I had slept for well over twelve hours and she clearly hadn't slept any. Kurenai had her arm looped around Asuma's as he whispered reassuring things in her ear, everyone else speaking amongst themselves in hurried voices. There were several buildings that were in ruin, including the academy. Iwa did one hell of a number on Konoha, and there was only one thing this was going to lead to. No one wanted to say it, or even think it, but it was plainly laid out in front of us like the village that was now in shambles.

Rin's grip on me tightened. Despite the chilling air, I could see a bead of sweat forming on her brow. War led to casualties, and the chance our parents were among those casualties was looming in the distance. She was terrified. But it wasn't just her; even the genin that had been so sure of themselves yesterday were darting their eyes around our surroundings apprehensively. No one knew who had made it and who hadn't, and my heart began to sink even more as we were moved into a clearing in front of the Hokage's residence, the building having suffered minimal damage.

It was the first time I had seen him in person; Hiruzen Sarutobi stood tall, his hair still containing remnants of its original brown color. Rin and I were in the front row, and from here I could see heavy wrinkles beginning to form around his eyes and mouth. I diverted my attention away from him, to the fuckhead triad standing behind him; Danzō Shimura, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. Looking at them, to the villagers, then to my sister made something in my heart shatter. Watching something happen and actually being there invoked different emotions. I had almost shed a tear when Rin had died; definitely cried when Obito had been left to die under all of those boulders. I had felt sadness and a lack of fairness when Neji had been killed during a war that was destined to happen, had nearly thrown my laptop across my room when it was revealed what had _really_ happened to the Uchiha clan. But this was different. These events were going to happen, and it was only a matter of time before I would be there to witness them all. So where do you go from here? Do you pledge to save every soul that was dealt the worst imaginable deck of cards? Do you put yourself at the front of it all, acting like you can do a goddamn thing to change anything at all? Just like with death, I didn't think there was a right and wrong answer. Not yet.

"Due to the hostility shown by Iwagakure forces, this will undoubtably send us into war." I expected a collective gasp of surprise, but there was only grave silence. "Out of the four thousand, sixty four troops deployed late yesterday evening, two thousand, one hundred and seventy survived. But their deaths were not in vein, and each and every one of them embodied the Will of Fire!" I was being smothered into Rin's body, her hand holding my head firmly to her shoulder. It was then that the silence was broken, and people began to scurry to find their loved ones. But Rin stood still, like her feet were cemented to the ground. She wedged her face in the crook of my neck, and within seconds my shirt was soaked with her tears.

"I… I can't sense their chakra anywhere in the v-illage, Hanami… I c-can't…" I feel like my default emotion was anger nowadays, and this very moment was no different. Dad had been a teacher, mom had been a medic. They dedicated their lives to helping people, but none of that seemed like it made a difference to anyone. They were gone. There was nothing anyone could ever do to make this better. There was a distinct hollowness that I started to feel, and it was something I knew all too well. This wasn't fair; this wasn't right, no one should have to ever experience this. But I felt like if I were to cry right now, it would almost be selfish. I knew that was stupid. Just because yours and everyone else's home gets washed away in a flood, doesn't mean you still shouldn't cry for your own loss. But I didn't cry, because Rin was doing plenty of that for the both of us. I didn't want her to feel like she had to wipe my tears away. I let her hold me, and didn't flinch when Obito had come to wrap his arms around the both of us. As hard as he tried, he couldn't shush her sobs any better than I could have.

Dying hadn't been fair, but at least I could've done something to prevent it. This war wasn't fair, but the fact I could do nothing to stop it hurt worse than any "could have" ever would.


	3. Chapter Two:

•

 **Chapter Two: Wherein the war and rhetorical** **questions continue, Hanami has** **inner turmoil and Rin becomes a child** **soldier.**

•

 **"Dying hadn't been fair, but at least I could've done something to prevent it. This war wasn't fair, but the fact I could do nothing to stop it hurt worse than any "could have" ever would."**

I had never really considered myself an optimist or a pessimist. Sometimes, I just sorta existed without really looking at the world in any way specifically. It just depended on my mood. One day, the glass was half empty, the next day it was half full, then some days there wasn't even a glass, just nothingness. That was probably a sign of some serious mental discrepancies, but nothing was ever diagnosed. My parents had loved me, but were the type of people that didn't believe in popping pills for things that Jesus could fix with his healing hand, or whatever. Irish Catholics for you.

What I'm getting at with this, is that I was quickly turning into a pessimist in light of recent events. The village was half destroyed, my new parents were dead, and things didn't seem to be looking up any time soon. In the wake of the first attack on Konohagakure, the village's orphanages were now to the point of overcrowding. They were densely populated before, but the attack really tipped the scale of orphans verses non-orphans. Rin and I had been stuffed into a room that already housed six other kids, and they hadn't taken to us very well. Everyone was angry, depressed and scared, and a lot of them were still in denial. Then, there were the kids that had been there for a while or all of their lives that had a "get the fuck over it" air about them, and I didn't blame them, either. I'm sure they were far past the "why me" sobbing phase, and seeing it happen over again and again would make me wanna punch something, too.

Rin and I shared the same sleeping mat, which wasn't a problem. But I will still _never_ understand why actual beds weren't the norm here. I was probably going to end up with a bad back by the time I was five if I slept one more night on the fucking floor, but culture shock was the last thing I needed to complain about right now. I listened to the loud, collective snoring of my roommates and stared up at the ceiling. I seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Rin stirred in her sleep beside me and her elbow jabbed into my temple, but I didn't make a sound.

This was the first time in the two and a half months since our parents had died that she had been asleep for this long. I had been keeping a mental tally every night, because she always seemed to fall asleep and then wake up before I was even tired. The first week averaged at about three hours, and the second between four and six, and that's where it's stayed for the past few weeks. Three to six hours was hardly enough sleep to function as a human and not as a zombie, and it showed in the bags under her eyes and the way she went about completing school work. She had a routine of going straight into her homework after she returned from school, and I guess she was keeping that up to retain a false sense of normalcy, even if she started to fall asleep halfway through an assignment. It was painful to watch, especially since I completely knew the feeling. I could tell she wanted to cry and scream, but she hadn't done either of those things since the day of. I guess it was for appearance's sake, but what the hell did that matter? It hadn't really registered at first, but she was trying to not show weakness. Ninja didn't cry. Which was dumb if you asked me, but I was a baby, so no one ever did.

Speaking of ninja, the next graduation exam was approaching with quickness. She'd pass, of course. She was smart, tactical, everything a ninja should be and more. She'd be put on a team with Obito Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake, under the guidance of Minato Namikaze. And she'd die, barely fourteen years old. She'd die because of this stupid war, just like our parents.

I know I've said this a lot, but that wasn't fair. At all.

What happened to Obito also wasn't fair, or Kakashi, or Minato and Kushina. Naruto didn't deserve to live a childhood of loneliness, Itachi shouldn't of had to watch his best friend die or murder his entire family. None of this was fair. But what could I do about it? I was just a kid, too. Before I had died, I had just been a high school student with minimal friends hoping to make it into fashion and design. I didn't have any life experience. I wasn't strong, I wasn't brave and I wasn't some kind of goddamn hero. But what would even be the point, then? Putting aside the lingering hope that this was all some fucked up dream, there had to be a reason why someone is just stuck into a place by the unforgiving hand of the Universe and left to their own devices. There had to be a reason, or purpose. Things don't just happen. Action to a reaction. Cause and effect. All that shit.

But this sounded so much like a god-complex it made me wanna barf. Oh, little 'ol me is just _MEANT_ to save everyone! Every single wasted potential of a character will skip off into the sunset, happily ever after! Fuck no, man. I wasn't some fairy godmother that was going to sprinkle some save-the-day magic dust over everyone I deemed deserving enough. Things rarely go to plan, anyway. Even if I prevented this or that, those changes could lead to a whole slew of new problems I have no idea how to fix. Just because I had ended my life over a bad decision didn't mean I should ruin everyone else's with the same thing.

But there was a problem; I _loved_ Rin Nohara, very much so. I loved her smile and her laugh, the sound of her voice, the feeling of her hugs. She deserved so much more than to die cold, young and with a hole in her chest. I'll be the first one to admit that wanting her to live so desperately was a little selfish on my part, but the more and more I thought about it, the less and less I cared about the consequences. What was the worst thing that could happen, should she live? I couldn't answer that question. If Rin were to survive, would a war even happen? Maybe, but Obito just probably wouldn't be the one to start it. Rin had to live; how, I didn't know.

I briefly entertained the thought that I could convince her not to be a ninja, but it was quickly banished from the list of to-do's. It was what she wanted and it was what our parents had wanted. Asking that of her would be almost as selfish as deciding she was going to live at any means necessary. It just wasn't right of me. Especially as the day of the graduation exam approached, and the color started to return to her cheeks and the smile to her lips. Being a ninja was giving her something to look forward to, something for her to accomplish. She needed this, just as much as I needed her. Besides, once you became a ninja, you were legally allowed to live by yourself if you didn't have anyone to care for you. The faster we got out of this shit-hole, the better.

"I'll be back as soon as class is over, ok?" She spoke to me quietly so no one else in the room could hear us. I nodded, and ignored the slight sting that came from me digging my nails into the palms of my hands. She had made sure every component of her outfit was absolutely pristine, like she was about to go to the biggest job interview of her life. Which she kinda was, but most jobs don't have a "possible death" warning label attached. She dropped to her knees in front of me and pulled my small body into a tight embrace, and I hugged her back with all of the strength that I had. Spring air drafted in through the cracked window, the smell of fresh flowers mixing with the scent of Rin's clothes. I didn't want to let go of her, but I knew that I had to. She'd be back by three baring the news of her passing, and we'd move on from there.

"I know. I'm just gonna miss you, is all." She smiled warmly and planted a kiss on my forehead. I closed my eyes, and tried not to think of the Kannabi Bridge, or the Three Tails. It wasn't time for that yet.

"I know, but I'll be back before you know it." She flicked my nose, and I gave her a smile in return. She ran her hands over the top of my hair, trailing her fingers into the small pony tails she had created that morning. Nodding to herself, she stood, and made her way over to the door. She spared me one last look and I waved goodbye, watching her as she walked down the hallway. I felt like a worrying mother, watching as my child was being drafted for the war, or something equally as dramatic. I couldn't help but wish that she wouldn't pass, but felt so immensely guilty for the thought afterward I had to lay down and reevaluate myself.

God, I'm so fucking terrible.

•

 **Rin**

Living without my parents to guide me was hard. Having complete responsibility for Hanami-chan was hard. This graduation exam was also going to be hard, but I would be fine. The other two tasks I still wasn't entirely sure about.

I had been so, _so_ enthusiastic about having a baby sister; I still was. She was all I had left. I loved her so much, and I wanted what was best for her. But who was going to want the best for me? Who was going to tuck me in at night, pick me up when I was down and tell me everything was going to be ok? I felt completely selfish, wanting those things for myself, now. Hanami was barely a year and a half old. I was the one that was going to do those things for her, because she was my sister and she needed me. I was going to have to let that settle in, like getting the hang of a jutsu or wearing in a new pair of shoes. It would take time; everyone was saying it, but I didn't want to wait anymore. I wanted to feel OK again. But I knew that the OK I had felt before was going to be a lot different from the OK I would feel now, and I wasn't sure what I thought about that. I'd get back to you on it when I do, though.

I hadn't cried again since the day that it had happened, which I didn't know if I truly believed was a good thing or not. Everyone else said it was, and that it was the sign of a strong Will of Fire. That made me a bit proud and a bit sad all at the same time. Crying was a human response to strong emotions, and was as natural as breathing, or as natural as the blood running through your veins. Mom had cried when Hanami was born, and when she had missed her first word. Dad never did, but I knew it was because "ninja don't cry". That was stupid, but I would've never said that out loud where he could've heard me.

An important part of becoming a ninja was learning that ninja don't cry, but people do. Learning which one it was appropriate to be at what point in time was also important. I sometimes wonder if my dad had ever been taught that, and just forgotten it like the way Obito sometimes forgets to wear his shoes to school.

But I'm going to stop talking about that for now, if that's alright. It's making my chest hurt.

It was Monday morning, and the graduation exams were in less than ten minutes. I had gotten to school early, and the classroom was still mostly vacant. Obito wasn't here yet, but I knew he probably wouldn't be until the very last minute. I had offered to wake him up today and walk him to school, but for the first time in the four years I had known him, he turned me down. Something about ninja not taking handouts, blah blah blah, "I'll be fine, Rin-chan! Don't worry about me!" But he made it so _hard_ not to. If I wasn't on his team, I didn't know what he was going to do. Between getting his butt kicked and tripping over air, he was going to need a medic on his squad, if he passed. I know I sound really negative right now, but I can't help but jump to the worst possible outcome. He had the potential to be a great ninja, but he let his nerves get in the way of things all too often. He could pass, if he focused hard enough. Thing is, "Obito", "not being nervous" and "focus" weren't words that belonged in a sentence together, and that's something I hope he'll grow out of.

I fidgeted in my seat. I didn't know if I was the one that was nervous, or just tired, or maybe a mixture of the two. I started to check if I had everything I would need for the day in my backpack, even though I had already done that five times over. If I failed today, there was always another one in a year or so. But I didn't want to waste another moment at the orphanage. Genin don't make much, but it would be enough to support Hanami-chan and I. Our housing would be subsidized, and food costs would be low. I could make it; I _would_ make it. I just had to keep telling myself that the storm was finally over, and maybe the sun could shine just a little light on us.

Fingers crossed.

"Of course you'd be early, Rin-chan!" It was Gai, and Shizune was trailing behind him in a quiet huddle. She was shy and noticeably unsure of herself, and I knew it was because she was constantly compared to Tsunade-hime. I think every medic-nin was, including me, but it was a bit different when you were practically related to her. I felt a smile tug at my lips, and I finally settled on resting my hands on my lap. The smile felt a lot better than the other times that I had tried to, and I knew that was a good sign. Baby steps, Nohara. _Baby steps_.

"Is Obito here yet?" Shizune asked, and I shook my head 'no'. She sighed. "That boy is going to be late to his own funeral, if he keeps it up." I wanted to laugh because it was funny and improbable, but didn't because it honestly wasn't too much of an exaggeration. I had a feeling he was going to make a comical relief-type entrance at the very last second before the bell rang, and I was probably right. Obito was just like that. I guess that's why I liked him.

" _Ah_ , that's no way to act! I'm sure Obito-kun is going to come flying through that door any second now!" Thanks Gai, for always being the residential Ray of Sunshine and Optimism. But a minute passed, then another, and another until it was seconds before the bell was about to ring. We sat in a row, now plus Asuma, Kurenai and Genma and watched the door with steady gazes. Off in the distance towards the front of the school, I felt it. His chakra, as big and bold as the sun. A wide smile spread across my face. He was running so fast, and I was fairly positive his legs were going to give out. I could practically see his brow furrowed in determination, could almost hear the pounding of his heart. He'd make it, but only by a breath.

"Hey, Rin, what's that smile…" But Kurenai's sentence trailed off as Obito flung himself into the classroom at top speed, falling over with his ankles in the air. He sat up with a huff, and flashed that award winning smile he always seemed to have at the ready. Asuma and Genma sighed theatrically and Gai was cheering him on with just as much exuberance as he always did. Our sensei walked through the door behind him with little patience, wearing the kind of expression that made you realize when someone really, _really_ hated their job.

"Alright, class. Now that Obito has made his grand entrance, I'd say it's about time to get down to business. Aburame, you're up."

Obito took his seat next to mine with a huff, and I couldn't help but giggle. It felt nice. Things felt normal, and maybe even a little ok.

•

 **Hanami**

I'm gonna spare you the suspense; she totally passed, and with excellent scores. I felt like I was overflowing with pride, even though I knew it was destined to happen. It had felt like an eternity since I had seen her smile like that, and it warmed me like the heat of a summer day. Holy shit, I was happy. I was truly, _genuinely_ happy, and so was she. Obito had passed too, obviously, and she was absolutely elated for him. So much so, that she invited him out to dinner with us. I didn't even have it in me to hide behind Rin as we met him at the ramen stand, especially not when he greeted her with a bouquet of camellias- her favorite. His face was as red as my hair used to be. It was just like her to feel guilty for not bringing him anything, too, and made him let her pay for the whole meal. Which ended up being free, because Ramen-Guy-I-Forgot-the-Name-of thought we were cute, and I'd have to agree with him.

"This has honestly been the best day of my life! I passed, you passed, _and_ we got free food!" Obito had replaced a normal walking pace for an almost-skip, and despite myself, I smiled. My weariness to his presence was fading away slowly, and as the evening dragged on the more and more I liked him. He was just a goofy kid that was hopelessly in love with my sister, for the moment. The murderous and hollow adult he had the potential to become, like many things in my life right now, would have to wait. For now, I liked him. He had the Hanami Stamp of Approval.

Rin sighed contently, the bouquet of purple camellias held tightly in her delicate hands. I was perched on Obito's shoulders with his hands wrapped around my small ankles so I wouldn't fall. I had been six feet tall before I had died, and being able to experience life as a stupid baby really put things into perspective. "Who do you hope you're going to be put on a team with?" She twirled a strand of her hair absently around her index finger, her eyes directed upwards. I didn't have to look at Obito's face to know that he was blushing, again. Or maybe he hadn't stopped.

"Well…I'm kinda hoping you're on my team, Rin." His voice was small, and his head was pointedly directed away from her. I felt like he was the type of person that would completely crumble if my sister rejected him in any way. I don't know if it would cause a fucking war like her death had, but a significant emotional breakdown? Yep. "I think we already get along pretty well, y'know?" He was right. He and sis went together as smoothly and generically as peanut butter and jelly. Now, add Kakashi into the mixture, and you would have one hell of a peanut butter and poor teamwork shit-sandwich.

"Yeah… I'd like that. Besides, who's gonna keep an eye on you if I'm not around, huh?" They shared a glance and a laugh, and I could practically feel the hopeless pinning radiate from the Uchiha I was currently riding like a pack mule. Either Rin just ignored it or didn't even have the slightest idea, but this boy loved her so much it actually hurt to see the look he gave her when her eyes weren't looking in his direction. It was cute, and a little sad. But anyone that knew how great she was was fine with me. He'd treat her like the sun, moon and stars or some tragically poetic shit like that, if she were to let him.

We walked in silence after that, and it wasn't long before we were in front of the looming structure that was our temporary home. If Obito hadn't been an Uchiha, he probably would've ended up somewhere similar. I was sat down and quickly put my small hand into Rin's larger one, watching as cherry blossom petals drifted through the late evening air. This was so Host Club it physically and emotionally pained me. Rin didn't move, so neither did Obito and I. She looked fixedly at the building, like she had come to some kind of monumental resolve.

"Hanami, when we get inside, I want you to pack up your things, ok?" I had never heard her voice hold so much certainty in the year and three months I had known her. She held her head high, the flowers Obito had gifted her being held firmly to her chest. Watching the life come back to her eyes was like watching flowers bloom after a long winter; clean and new, and it was beautiful. Obito must've been thinking the same thing, because his mouth was gaping like a hole in the wall. It was an odd feeling, seeing someone fall more in love right in front of your eyes. If I hadn't had to pee so badly, I probably would've had the will to feel a bit intrusive.

But alas, I never was the sappy type.


	4. Chapter Three:

**Chapter Three: Wherein Rin is (almost) mauled to death, Hanami is perpetually frustrated, and the orange juice is stolen.**

•

 **"An important part of becoming a ninja was learning that ninja don't cry, but people do. Learning which one it was appropriate to be at what point in time was also important."**

•

 **Hanami**

"Kunai?"

"Check!"

"First aid kit?"

"Also check!"

Rin was running around our small apartment like a chicken with its head cut off. She had a tooth brush dangling from her lips, one shoe on and the other somewhere it clearly wasn't supposed to be, because it was nowhere to be found. It had been three weeks since she had graduated, and a few d-ranks were all her team was really useful for. Still, she packed her bag with enough supplies to demolish a small village, then doctor that small village up if she were to feel so inclined. Something about "A good ninja must always be prepared for any situation!" or something along those lines. I dunno. I wasn't really listening, to be honest.

"Are you going to be alright by yourself?" She had asked that question every single day before she left in the mornings, even when she had still been going to the academy and we lived at the orphanage. The answer was always the same, and today was no different. Typically, leaving a one year-and-some-change old toddler alone was the worst idea ever in the universe, but things were different here. One, because I'm technically a legal adult now (if only mentally) and could care for myself with minimal hiccups, and two, she was only ever gone for four hours or less and an attendant from the orphanage came to check on me periodically throughout the day. It still wasn't ideal according to everyone, but it would have to do. If hauling around a baby was an A-OK thing to do on a d-rank mission, she probably would. But it wasn't, so she didn't.

"I'll be fine, sis. It's not like I'm gonna disappear by the time you get back." I had said it lightheartedly, but she looked like she hadn't taken it that way. We both had this intense mother hen approach to each other that applied to most situations. If I was to sum up our relationship, it would kind of be like Gollum and the One Ring. Who was the hobbit and who was "MY PRECIOUS!" was interchangeable.

"I know that. But that doesn't mean you aren't going to get hurt, and I won't be around to heal you." She finally found her shoe that was for some reason in the pantry with a triumphant "Ah-ha!" I peered at her from my place on the couch, my eyes still heavy with sleep. Minato was apparently impeccably punctual, and expected his students to be, too. At seven in the morning, no less.

From what Rin has reported back from her twenty-one days as a member of a genin team, Obito had made it a routine to get there at least a half hour late with an excuse along the lines of assisting decrepit old women with their groceries, or not being able to cross a certain street because of a sketchy black cat. If I recalled right, one of those things happened to have actually occurred, and often. His intentions were good, but his timing? Hell nope.

"That's what bandages are for, sis." Even _if_ she was literally a Band-Aid with legs. She sighed in defeat, like she did every time we had a conversation similar to this, and kissed the top of my head.

"There's food in the fridge, ok?" I was aware of that, but felt like I'd give her a break and lower the sass levels for now. I waved to her as she trotted down the rickety steps of our apartment building, and let out a heavy sigh once she was out of ear shot. It was weird, being alone like this. Before, my mom had basically kept me glued to her hip for the first ten years of my life, which wasn't really that much of a stretch considering she had also home schooled me up until then. Things were just so monumentally different now. I'm sure to that, you're thinking, "No fucking shit." But I was still in the never ending process of trying to assimilate.

Even if my aesthetic as a teenager had been "gentle weeb", that didn't mean I was all that knowledgeable about the culture I was currently confined to. I often forgot about the little things, from taking off my shoes before I entered every place I went to, or the way food was cooked and the way people spoke to one another. My family before had been Irish immigrants living in Northern California. I had socially went from "Cowabunga, brawski!", to "Kon'nichiwa, Hanami-chan." It was like taking an ice-bath in culture, and I didn't know when the shock was going to wear off.

I ran my hand through my mop of hair with a groan. I had been practicing my writing for a little over an hour since Rin had left for training, and my hand was cramping somethin' fierce. Just because I had been studying the language before I died, didn't mean I was an expert. Rin was helping me the best that she knew how, but I knew the most successful way for things to absorb was if I did them by myself. Usually. Now this, maybe that philosophy didn't apply to very well.

After another hour of pitiful grunts and equally pitiful progress, I collapsed rather dramatically to the floor. The wooden floorboards creaked with every movement that I made, no matter how insignificant. The building itself was probably just as old as the village, and was in the shady part of Konoha that was mainly inhabited by lower class civilians. The neighbor to our right was a nearly deaf eighty-nine year old women named Etsuko who owned more cats than would ever be necessary, and the dude to our left was a pervy twenty-something that took too much of an interest in what my sister did in her free time. She could have him on the floor and in a chokehold in the bat of an eye if he tried anything, I was sure. Or, just let Etsuko-baachan unleash her never ending brigade of flea stricken cats into his apartment. Whichever fit the situation better.

I blew a strand of brown hair out of my vision with a steady stream of breath. During high school, I had always dreamed of reverting back to a toddler, existing without the word "responsibility" in my vocabulary. Now that I was exactly that, it wasn't anything special. Being a baby was just taking up space without really contributing to anything at all; my time was mainly spent day dreaming a lot or staring at the closest wall. It wasn't like I could pick up where I left off as far as hobbies went, either. I didn't even know if they had sewing machines, let alone where I would get one. Or if I could even operate one, because y'know, I'm a fucking baby. I didn't have friends to occupy my time with, which I don't even know if I'd want any, anyhow. I don't know how to act around kids, even if now I technically was one, so that was out. Whatever. If Rin was my only friend for the rest of forever, I'd survive. I did just fine without constant companionship before, and I'd be just fine now.

With that thought in mind, I spent the rest of that Friday doing exactly what I normally did, until Rin returned surprisingly late in the afternoon. She was covered in dirt and minor scrapes, and generally just appeared like she had been drug by her feet from hell and back. She then proceeded to take the longest bath to ever have been had and promptly passed out, with little explanation. I could really only imagine what in the _fuck_ had happened, but didn't. I settled for falling asleep at her side instead.

•

 **Third Person**

That mission had been rough; and as guilty as it made him feel, a little hilarious, too. He knew that it would happen to his team sooner than later; it was a genin rite of passage. He would probably never know what that woman did to her cats that made them risk their lives trying to escape the grasp of her pudgy fingers every chance they got, but he was positive it had to be absolutely brutal.

He was of course referring to Tora, the cat that belonged to the Fire Daimyo's wife, Madame Shimiji.

He should probably say "cats", because there was no way any regular house cat could have survived that long after being put through that amount of death-grip snuggles and angry ninja tackling it to the ground. He didn't know exactly when the little bastards starting doing their biweekly routine of being a pain in the ass to genin teams, but every ninja that he knew had dealt with the cat at some point in their careers. It was kinda like losing your virginity, except by the end of it you were covered in scratches and every muscle in your entire body was sore.

…or, maybe that's _exactly_ what happened when you lost your virginity. Whatever, Minato wasn't one to judge.

That aside, what he had really begun to notice during this mission, was that their teamwork absolutely blew. Rin and Obito got along fine, but the team wasn't just Rin and Obito. It was Rin, Obito and Kakashi, and the latter really hated working as anything other than a solo unit. It was pretty exhausting. Rin would be raring to go for anything she was assigned, and was an excellent listener. Then, there was Obito. He was also pretty down for whatever, just as long as a certain chūnin wasn't around. Which didn't count, because whether Kakashi and Obito liked it or not, they were on a team. Together, with Rin, and they were going to have to learn to tolerate each other.

Now, Minato was a reasonable man. He didn't expect them to be best friends or something. But that didn't imply that they weren't supposed to tolerate each other. They didn't, at all. So he thought to himself, "Maybe they need to be _trained_ how to get along." He knew it was a long shot and also a bit ridiculous, but it was worth a try.

So, he woke up Saturday morning with a purpose. He was going to make his particularly stubborn male students socialize, and not end up in a fist fight. That probably sounds a little improbable, but like he said earlier, he was a reasonable man. He knew they weren't just going to cooperate without something in it for them (besides the wonders of friendship). He was thinking along the lines of the Rasengan. Minato knew Kakashi was probably ready, and that Obito _definitely_ was not, but it would give him something to distract himself from his intense distaste for Kakashi. Probably. Whatever, he was doing it anyway.

Minato walked down the streets of Konoha with a bounce in his step and a whistle. This was also going to be a surprise attack on his students, which may not be a good idea, but there really wasn't any turning back once he had his mind made up. He was sure Rin would do anything he asked of her within reason, so at least she wasn't something he was going to have to deal with. Her apartment complex was the farthest away, so she would be the last stop. Kakashi lived a block down from his apartment, so the little chūnin was the first up. Hopefully, he wouldn't throw too many kunai.

•

 **Hanami**

"This is the stupidest thing _ever_ , sensei." And for once, Kakashi looked like he agreed with Obito. What a miracle.

"No, it's not. You're just not giving it a chance. Besides, if you behave, there's a surprise at the end." Minato decided it would be best at the moment to hide how much he was enjoying himself. They both looked about a hundred fifty percent absolutely done with their sensei, and Minato was savoring pretty much every second of it.

"You've been saying that, but haven't even said what kind of surprise it is!" Well, _duh_ , Obito. That's why it's a surprise. Minato hummed, drumming his fingertips over his left thigh as he walked. Rin's apartment wasn't that much away, now. They turned a corner, and he could tell by the sudden shift of his student's expressions that they were starting to grow weary. Konoha came in layers; the center of the village is where the Hokage and the well-to-do civilians and ninja, mainly clans, resided. Then, the more modest, middle class villagers in the outer middle. Finally, the very outer ring of the village was where all the questionable activity occurred. It was cheap, but its affordability came at a cost; a pretty hefty bill of stale cat piss, perverts, back ally blowjobs and shankings, sometimes in that order. Subsequently, a lot of orphaned genin and chūnin lived there, including his favorite Nohara. It didn't really please him in the slightest the way orphans were handled in this village, coming from experience. He was sure that Hiruzen wasn't the one that was so stingy with the subsidized housing budget, but he tried not to think about it too much, lest he punch a wall.

"Is this really where Rin lives, sensei?" Obito was playing a never ending game of Twenty Questions, it seemed. They had come to a stop in front of run down building that looked like it was about twenty years overdue for renovation- or demolition, whichever. Even Kakashi looked a bit… _displeased_. The only reason he hadn't ended up here is because he was a nine year old ninja legend and had connections- ergo, Minato Namikaze, and he knew it. That was just the reality of things. He could sense that Rin was still fast asleep, and so was another surprisingly faint ball of chakra that he was going to assume was her little sister. He remembered Rin saying something about her being bad with new people and that's why he had not met her yet, and he was kinda hoping now wasn't going to be the worst possible time for him to just show up unannounced.

Whoops.

"Yes, Obito. This is where Rin actually lives." Minato then made his way up the rusted metal staircase that led to the second floor of apartments with Obito fallowing him, and of course Kakashi was lagging behind. He stopped in front of a door with the faded remains of a seven, and held his fist up to the wood to knock. But before his knuckles could even make contact, it was carefully pulled open by a very sleepy Rin Nohara, bed head and polka dot pajamas in all of their glory. She was in the process of rubbing the remnants of sleep from her eyes, a confused frown pulling at her lips. She was the only one of his students he was started to regret waking so early on their day off.

"…Sensei? Obito? It's Saturday. We don't meet for training on Saturday's." She was normally right, but this was special training. She suddenly became acutely aware of her disheveled appearance, and started to frantically run her fingers through her hair with an embarrassed flush on her cheeks. "U-um… you guys can come in, if you want. There's not a lot of room, though." Her entire apartment was probably only the size of his bedroom, so that wasn't a lie. Obito pushed passed Minato and threw himself inside like he owned the damn place, and started rummaging through her fridge. She didn't look very surprised.

"Yeah, Rin-chan, I thought we didn't have training on Saturdays either, but apparently we're being trained in _the magic of friendship_." She had probably never looked so unenthused in her entire life. He supposed now was a good time to explain himself, now that they were all here.

"Your teamwork is terrible." Minato decided that being forthcoming was the best way to kick things off. "I'm aware you all haven't been a team for very long, but I know you've known each other for the majority of your lives. The way you two," he motioned to Obito and Kakashi with his finger, respectively. "Bicker is inexcusable. What's it going to be like when we're sent on c-ranks? Or maybe even B-ranks, if we last that long?" all of them had visibly shrunken, even Kakashi, if only by a hair. "I don't have a problem with you, Rin. You're a good egg." she brightened a bit, and he smiled. "Now, you and Obito work together fine, and that would be great if it was only you two on this team, but you aren't. So today, we're going to try and alleviate some of that tension. And, I will buy you lunch." as an afterthought, he added, "Also, your sister is completely welcomed to join us, Rin." that pretty much sealed the deal for her, if the look on her face was any indication.

"This sounds so lame, Minato-sensei!" Obito exclaimed with an exasperated groan. He had taken the liberty to finish off a carton of orange juice that had been in Rin's fridge like it was OK to do that without asking first. Minato was now pretty convinced that the Uchiha compound just generated pigs disguised as overly entitled ninja.

"Well, too bad, you're doing it, because I'm your sensei and I said so." _Another_ unnecessary groan. Obito's unabashed volume seemed to cause Hanami in the other room to stir in her sleep, as what sounded like sheets being angrily thrown off a body echoed thoughout the apartment. Then the pitter patter of little, uncordinated feet could be heard, and after a few seconds and what sounded like several stumbles, a little head peered around the corner from the hallway that led to Rin's bedroom.

"Sis…? What's going on?" Her voice was just as tiny and meek as she was. She started rubbing her eyes much like her sister had done earlier, and looked pretty surprised once she noticed the rest of Team Eleven standing in her kitchen. She looked like she had wanted to say something, but blushed furiously instead. It was the kind of cute that could melt the heart of the most icy, murderous ninja. Except for Kakashi, as he was pretty immune to all things fluffy and adorable. Rin stood from her seated position, and walked over to the small child and scooped her up into her arms. She looked between the three males invading her apartment and to her sister, as if silently pleading for something to say. Then, her eyes drifted to the empty carton of orange juice and a nasty scowl began to engrave itself onto her pudgy features.

"Who drank my orange juice?" Honestly, there should be a "Most Menacing Child" award, because she'd win it. Actually, no, she'd be a runner up to Kakashi. That seems to fit better. Speaking of Kakashi, he jabbed his thumb in Obito's direction as if to say to her, "That fucking asshole." He was probably thinking it, but he really never has been the vocal type. She scrunched her face up more, as if she had eaten something sour. The blush that had engulfed her cheeks before was now gone, and she looked like she wanted to knock Obito's lights out. Since she couldn't really do that, she settled for giving Obito the stankiest stank face Minato had ever bore witness to in his entire life.

"I-I'm sorry, Hanami! I was just really thirsty, Minato-sensei didn't even give us time to eat!" As if to prove his point, his stomach let out a low grumble. She didn't look very impressed, and she really shouldn't have been. It was then that Minato deemed it the right time to intervene, as he was sure that if this went on any longer she was going to slap him.

"Sorry if we woke you, Hanami-chan. I was just stopping by to see if you and your sister would like to join us for lunch." At the mention of "lunch", her ears stood at attention and it seemed like she had completely recuperated from her interrupted sleep and the loss of her stolen orange juice. At least she had her priorities straight.

"Yes. Food sounds good." Her eyes drifted back to the orange juice, and an idea sparked in her eyes. "And I want more orange juice."

•

Minato Namikaze was an otherworldly, absolute dork, and I was pretty sure I was in love. He was someone that I hadn't ever really given much thought to, but actually being in his presence made me wonder why that was. He was funny, charismatic, and could piss off Kakashi to the point of making the boy blush so much the redness reached all the way to his ears. He was that unbelievably hot, approachable older brother that you always wished one of your friends would've had. The only downside to this budding romance was that he was close to eighteen years older than me, and hopelessly in love with Kushina Uzumaki, which was cool. She was just as hot, so I wasn't all that crushed. I'd probably end up more into her, anyway, should I meet her. Hopefully, I would.

"Sensei, the lunch was nice, but I'd really like to get to that surprise part you mentioned." Said Obito, who was currently picking left over nori from his teeth with his pinky finger, before "accidentally" flicking it at Kakashi. He dodged, with minimal effort. His retort was a lighting fast kick to the back of the knee, which Obito did not dodge. It was never ending, those two.

"Well, Obito," Minato said, paying no mind to his flailing Uchiha student. "I didn't want to teach you the Rasengan on an empty stomach." Once Obito had collected himself, he gave Minato a puzzled look. Kakashi, on the other hand, stopped in his tracks and looked at his teacher like he had just said he was secretly gay and Kushina was actually a man. His head was probably close to exploding by now.

"You've got to be kidding me, Sensei! There's _no way_ you're going to be able to teach him the Rasengan!" He motioned to Obito, almost trying to emphasize without the use of words how incredibly dumb the notion was. Minato had a look about him like that was _exactly_ what he had wanted him to say, and the grin he was now wearing was so incredibly devious it made Kakashi take an apprehensive step back.

"Well, _funny_ you said that, because you're going to be the one teaching him, not me." The ball he just dropped practically caused an earthquake. Minato basked in his student's confusion and despair like this was the biggest achievement of his entire life's work, and it was becoming very clear that Minato Namikaze was the biggest troll in the Universe, bar none.

"I don't know if you're aware or not, but you haven't taught it to me yet." Oh, he was pissed. He had his fists balled at his sides like he was seconds away from punching someone's face in, probably Obito's. Speaking of whom, appeared to be experiencing a mixture of both excitement and immense confusion.

"Wait, what's a Rassngan?" Kakashi slapped his forehead so hard I'm surprised his head was still on his shoulders. Obito looked from the chūnin at his right, to his Sensei, then finally to Rin and me. He scratched the side of his head, something I was noticing he did when he was at a loss for words. "What? Am I missing something here?" Bless his heart. If sweat dropping was a thing that happened in real life, I was positive all of us would be right about now.

"Yes, you _idiot_. The Rasengan is one of Sensei's signature jutsu!" Said Kakashi, Minato's biggest fan. I have honestly never seen someone so salty in my entire life…or lives, I guess would be more proper. Rin and I shared a look, and I tried to suppress a sudden yawn, but failed. I guess that was all the excuse Rin needed, as she tapped Minato's shoulder, interrupting his long winded explanation of the Rasengan he was giving Obito. He stopped mid-sentence, looking at the two of us like he had completely forgotten we had been standing there. He probably had, considering he had been busy trying to stop a certain duo of angry, prepubescent boys from strangling each other.

"Sorry for interrupting, Sensei, but it's Hanami-chan's nap time. We should really get going. Thank you for paying for our lunch." She tipped her head in a small bow, which I thought was a bit too formal, but that was Rin for you. Minato gave her a toothy grin and ruffled her hair, turning his attention away from his two other problematic students to tell us goodbye.

"Don't mention it, Rin-chan. I hope maybe we can do something like this again." He looked over his shoulder with narrowed eyes. "As a _team_."

"Ah, Rin, do you really have to leave me with him?" To answer his question, I yawned again, a little bit louder this time. She smiled and walked over to him and flicked him on the tip of the nose. Of course, it made him blush and sputter, and if Kakashi hadn't already thought he was the most pathetic creature in existence, he did now.

"Oh, Rin, I almost forgot." She looked over her shoulder at Minato, and turned fully as he started rummaging through his flak jacket. After a second or two, he produced a medium sized scroll with a stamp on it with words too complex and that I could not read, because I suck. He tossed it to her and she caught it with one hand, giving him a curious look.

"It's a few medical jutsu I was able to find for you. It's not really something I can help you with, but I figured you're a smart enough girl to figure them out by yourself." Her face brightened, and she ran to give him a hug, thankfully having enough thought to sit me down before she flung her arms around him. He laughed and wrapped his right arm around her shoulder and placed his left hand on her head. She stepped back quickly and gave him another far too formal bow, and scooped me up in her arms again. Another thing to add to the list of never ending downsides of being a baby; we are never not tired for long enough. I personally had wanted to see them trip and fall over the Rasengan, as evil as that sounded. Like I said earlier, I was limited on entertainment.

"Thank you, sensei! I'll see you guys on Monday!" They waved at us goodbye, except for the obligatory Sasuke of the group. By now, it was probably around two o'clock, as the sun was still shining down on us brightly. Rin had repositioned me until I was on her back, and walked her way through the streets of Konoha, humming brightly.

" _So_ , Minato-sensei." She said, breaking the silence that had settled over us. "I saw you ogling him the whole time, you know. You totally have a crush on him." And she was totally right, unfortunately.

" _Yeah_." It hadn't meant to come off as dreamily as it did, but nonetheless, it made her giggle. I smiled and wrapped my arms around her neck. Before we had even made it home, I was out like a light.

•

 **Yooo.**

 **By the time I had finished this chapter about a month or two ago, I had written the scene of Minato teaching the boys the Rasengan at least six times, each one more disappointing than the last. If you had wanted to read that, I'm genuinely sorry. I would have liked it to make it into this chapter, too, but it was not meant to be. I had also tried to change it around to where it wasn't a plot point of this chapter, but again, it fucking blew ass and I was not about to settle for something I wasn't in to. Hope you still enjoyed.**


	5. Chapter Four:

•

 **Chapter Four: Wherein Summer rears its ugly head,** **Rin nearly commits murder and The Red Hot** **Habanero returns.**

•

 **"We both had this intense mother hen approach to** **each other that applied to most situations. If I were to** **sum up our relationship, it would kind of be like** **Gollum and the One Ring. Who was the** **hobbit and who was "MY PRECIOUS!" was** **interchangeable."**

 **Hanami**

I had never experienced an Australian summer, but I'm sure this was probably worse. Everything was sticky, everyone smelled like sweaty ass crack and there wasn't a working air conditioner in sight. If you don't pity the citizens of Konoha, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Even worse, we actually had to _do_ things today. Well, _I_ didn't, but Rin would sooner decapitate the Hokage with chopsticks than leave me alone in our nine thousand degree, tiny apartment. _They_ had to run errands for Minato and clean his house. Not because they volunteered or anything, but because the nerd had commissioned a d-rank from them, just so they could do his chores.

Where was the highlighter with legs, you ask? Fuck if we knew. The only thing we _did_ know, was that Kushina Uzumaki, aka The Red Hot Habanero, was returning from the front lines after five months of deployment. From what Rin had said, he had been practically glowing when he had told his team why exactly they were being forced to do his housework, but that didn't make her any more enthusiastic about it. Kakashi was actually the least pouty of the four of us as we walked down the street, the sun beating down on us like we had done it a personal wrong. Instead of his usual navy colored mask he was never seen without, a white hospital mask replaced it. Why he didn't just, I don't know, _not cover his face in one hundred degree weather,_ the world would never begin to comprehend.

" _God_ , what the hell is wrong with sensei? Why couldn't he have some other team do this shit?" It was Obito, who had taken it upon himself to carry the heaviest bags that contained disinfectant, window cleaner, bleach and had several mops tucked under his right arm. I had tried to make myself feel useful by carrying a few mop buckets filled with sponges, but Rin had taken them from me and was holding them instead. I was walking by her side with my hand in hers like I normally did, but with a scowl on my face. I was sweating in places I felt like should not be allowed, my feet hurt and I was useless. What a _wonderful_ day this was turning out to be. Thankfully, the Universe had the kindness to spare me the emotional despair that was Konoha's marketplace during the afternoon. Everyone with indoor cooling and a sound state of mind was right where they should be, which was not where we currently were. I was just hoping Minato's house wasn't as hot as it was outside. If it was, I might actually cry.

" _Language_ , Obito. And we were convenient. No one else is even accepting missions right now." He huffed, and wiped a bead of sweat away that had traveled from his brow down to his cheek. He hadn't even bothered to wear a shirt, and shit, if it was socially acceptable for Rin and I to not wear anything from the waist up, we probably wouldn't, either. In case you were wondering, shirtless Obito Uchiha was actually fairly impressive, for a ten year old. If you weren't, oh well. "What's the next thing on the list, Kakashi-kun?" Said chūnin had taken the liberty of holding onto the list, even if I had asked if I could. Apparently, year and a half olds could not be trusted with even the simplest of tasks.

"We need to stop by the butcher and get some beef." There was a unanimous groan, and even Kakashi seemed to be a bit irked now. We had already picked up a massive sack of potatoes, rice and a slew of other ingredients, all of which Rin had in bags held tightly at her sides.

"Do we have to cook for them, too? Might as well get him some condoms and lube, while we're at it." That earned Obito a slap that left a red hand print on his already sunburnt skin, courtesy of a blushing and screaming Rin Nohara. He rubbed the inflamed patch of skin defensively once we had stopped in front of the butcher shop, the bags they had been carrying now set to the side. I leaned against the building with my hands behind my back, kicking up dry dirt with my sandal. I looked at the stall across the butcher shop from under the brim of my sun hat, paying attention to the details of the people that were sitting down at the benches and eating their dango.

I narrowed my eyes at the profile of a man with curly hair and a muscle shirt, internally screaming that I hadn't escaped that horrendous fashion trend. Even worse, was that he had left the weirdly high collar intact. I know it's not a ninja's job to dress well, but fuck. He looked like a cross between a frat boy hooked on protein shakes and a dog with worms. Then he turned around, and things made sense. The giant Uchiha symbol was synonymous for poor fashion choices.

"Whatcha looking at, Hanami-chan?" Obito had squatted down next to me, his face at eye level. He had taken one of the rags we had bought and wiped the sweat off his upper half with it, the cloth now draped over his shoulder. I sighed and crossed my legs, my hair brushing over my shoulders. I had never wanted to hack all of it off more than at that moment.

"Why does everyone in your clan dress like they're blind?" He huffed a laugh, then it registered that I also had just insulted him, so he lightly nudged me. I giggled, but kept my eyes pointed to the dango stand across from us. A boy, probably a year or two older than me had walked up to the man that had been sitting by himself on the bench and took a seat next to him. His hair was just as curly, and his fashion sense was just as cringey as the dude who I was going to guess was his fashionably inept father.

"Well, a lot of them _are_ blind, y'know." Sharingan abuse will do that. I kept my eyes on the boy, who faintly reminded me of someone, but I couldn't put a name to his face. It bothered me, in the same way that trying to string together the pieces of who my family was had. Maybe his features were distinct simply because he was an Uchiha, not because he was of any importance to the plot before. All the same, I wanted to crawl into a hole and die when his dad pointed at me, causing his clone to look over at my startled, burning red face. My cheeks got even hotter the longer I maintained eye contact, so I quickly dodged into the door of the butcher shop.

…Which was a _big_ ass mistake, because I ran into my sister. She tripped, the carefully wrapped beef and bag of groceries tumbling out of her hands and to the ground. My chest constricted tightly, and I froze. Kakashi was out of the butcher shop in a second, his eyes darting between me and Rin. She had her hands closed over her mouth, looking at the vegetables and meat that were now ruined. I felt hot tears start to prickle at my eyes. My lungs started to ache for breath, but the panic weighing heavily on my chest prevented me from inhaling the hot summer air. Rin's eyes pointed at me, seeing the hot tears that were now falling down my cheeks. She rushed over and wiped them away with steady hands, and reassuringly ran her hands over my shoulders.

"Hanami-chan, it's ok, it's ok! Please don't cry!" I wanted to fall into her arms and never face the world again, but I couldn't move, I could hardly breathe and we had attracted the unwanted stares from passerby. The kid I had gotten into a staring contest with was pulled away by his dad, but not before looking back at me several times until he was out of sight.

"No, Rin, it's _not_ ok. You two just ruined the food, and we don't have any more money. Why weren't you watching where you were going?" He barked, and there was this startling change in her expression that I had never seen before. She stood and looked over at Obito, and he crouched down and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. The stickiness of his skin as it was pressed against mine made me feel even more like I was going to boil over.

"It was an accident." She bit out, the venom in her tone something I would've never thought I'd hear coming from her. A sickly feeling began to form in my stomach as the atmosphere abruptly became heavy, fear squeezing the life out of my heart. Was she doing that?

"It doesn't matter if it was an accident or not. What are we supposed to do now?" He jerked his head over and looked at me, his eyes narrowing into fine slits. "And stop crying. Grow the fuck up." He made me feel like I was an inch tall. Obito's arms constricted tighter around me, but it did little to calm the rapid beating of my heart. I buried my face in my hands and tried not to shake, but the longer I stood, the more my body trembled. My head snapped up at the sound of skin hitting skin, and my lip quivered at the sight of Kakashi's hand firmly wrapped around Rin's wrist, mid slap.

"You don't intimidate me, Rin." Her expression was serenely calm, the only sign of her fury being the glare in her eyes.

"Don't you _ever_ talk to her that way again, Kakashi." she took a step closer, Kakashi's hand still firmly wound around her wrist. "It was an accident. When you're ready to apologize for being such a _jerk_ , we will _consider_ accepting it." Her voice was low, punctuating each word with emphasis. She ripped her wrist from his hold and calmly walked over to where Obito and I were frozen in place. Her arms wrapped around my body snugly, and she gently ran her hand over the back of my head, my sun hat having fallen off in the process. I wrapped my arms around her neck and inhaled shakily, trying to block out the sound of Obito yelling at Kakashi at the top of his lungs.

"I'm s-sorry, Rin." I had finally found my voice after several minutes of walking, but my apology came out cracked and muffled into her shirt. Rin shushed me quietly before sitting me down on a bench, and kneeled in front of me the way she always did when she tried to console me. I pulled my knees up to my chest and covered my face with my arms, but she gently pulled them away. She tucked my hair behind my ears, her hands resting on my red and puffy cheeks.

"It's ok, Hanami-chan. It was an accident. I should've been the one paying more attention, not you. Ok?" I nodded my head, despite the guilt that was still clinging to my conscience. She pulled me into another embrace, her body rocking me gently back and forth with her hand rubbing circles into my back. Nearly twenty minutes passed before my erratic breathing and heart beats returned to a normal pace. The sun had started to set by the time I was pacified completely, an hour afterwards. I blew my nose in a tissue that Rin had supplied me from her bag. My hair stuck to the sweat on my skin, and all I really wanted was to go home.

"Hanami, I know you want to go home, but we can't just yet, ok?" I didn't want to have to face her team, not right now. I ruined dinner, Kakashi hates me and I made Rin almost commit homicide. I had no idea how long it was going to take me to mentally recover from this, but considering I can still recall anxiety attacks from when I was in the first grade, it would probably be a while. Even still, I didn't want to argue with her, so I nodded my head and wrapped my arms around her neck. She picked me up and started in the direction we had come from. No doubt they had already left the butcher shop, but I was fairly positive that Minato's apartment was this way, too.

"Don't…don't be _too_ upset with Kakashi, ok?" We had been walking in silence for a handful of minutes before I spoke. Her arms secured around me tighter, but she remained quiet. I guess I had never expected her to be angry with anyone, let alone Kakashi, protagonist of her fangirl fantasies. She loved me and would protect me with her life, and I knew that. I just never thought that would extend to someone I knew that if she wasn't already, would eventually fall in love with.

"…he had no right to talk to you like that, Hanami-chan." I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was done talking about it. I rested my cheek on her shoulder, enjoying the subtle breeze of the late afternoon air. I could only guess that by now, Obito and Kakashi had already finished cleaning. I felt pretty terrible about it, because I knew that they would probably have needed Rin's help, but she tended to my meltdown instead. Nothing else was said until we came upon a large and incredibly nice apartment complex, and she sat me down once she had climbed a flight of stairs up to the second floor. "Minato-Sensei's inside." All at once, she seemed incredibly nervous. But that didn't last long, because the door was abruptly thrown open by a very loud and _very_ attractive Kushina Uzumaki.

"Ah, you two must be Rin and Hanami! I've heard so much about you!" She didn't really waste any time in pulling Rin into a chokehold of a bear hug, a three hundred and sixty degree twirl being the cherry on top. Then I guess it was my turn, because as soon as Rin was sat down, I was picked up and given the same treatment, except she didn't put me down afterwards. I was completely fine with that, honestly. "We're almost done with dinner, so you came just in time!" She grabbed Rin's hand and pulled her inside, and I looked at her over Kushina's shoulder. She shrugged her shoulders and I shrugged mine. I guess things worked themselves out.

" _Finally_ , you guys are here!" I'd never thought I'd see the day when Obito Uchiha and Minato Namikaze would be wearing an apron, but it fell into my lap and I accepted it gratefully. From the smell of it, Kushina had made beef stew, and had enlisted the help of her boy toy and said boy toy's students. Kakashi was sitting at the table and reading from a book, and was going out of his way not to look up at the new arrivals.

"Kushina-san is a great cook- and the stories she has about sensei are life changing-" His sentence was cut off when a wooden spoon was wacked over his head none too gently, thanks to the previously mentioned sensei. Who by the way, was blushing. Dork.

"Let's not get into that again, alright?" Minato ruffled Rin's bob when she walked past him, and she smiled. I was pretty absorbed in playing with Kushina's hair, and I was glad she encouraged it. I was sat on top of a makeshift highchair, consisting of a stack of thick textbooks and cushioned with a small throw pillow. Kakashi eyed me from where he was sitting, and I looked down at my hands. I couldn't tell whether he was angry, apologetic or if he was anything at all. I don't know what I had expected from him. Rin took the seat that separated him and me and decided not to look at him, either. Instead, she sat a bowl in front of me and herself, hers with a set of chopsticks and mine with a deep spoon. Oh how thankful I was, to have a sister as a mind reader. I fucking _hate_ chopsticks.

"We didn't know if you two were even going to come, after what happened." Said Minato, who had taken the seat across from mine. Rin visibly stiffened, but recovered quickly, and picked her bowl up in one hand before taking a bite of the thick stew with her chopsticks. Obito looked over at us, and Kushina coughed into her fist. Minato glanced at Kakashi, but the chūnin only stirred the contents of his bowl together. I didn't know what to do with myself, so I settled on stuffing my face. I may have wanted to jump out of the window, but at least the food was bomb.

"This is really good, Kushina-san." Her face lit up at my compliment, and she reached over and pinched my cheek. A bout of quietness settled over the table. Kushina laid eyes on Minato, and they shared a look, like they were having a conversation where words weren't necessary.

"So, do you guys want to hear me embarrass Minato?" The answer to that question would always be " _hell yes_ ".

•

Dinner went by with Kushina and Obito keeping the table in a constant conversation. It was like they were able to spiritually connect in the few hours they had known each other, to the surprise of no one. They, as in the long lost soul mates that were Obito Uchiha and Kushina Uzumaki, were lumped together in the middle of the living room floor looking over an old photo album filled with clan documents and grainy, black and white photos of Kushina's ancestors. I was kinda surprised he was into something like that, considering Rin said that he always fell asleep during history lessons. Something about Kushina being the last of the great Uzumaki clan was a bit romantic to him, I suppose. Minato and Rin had settled for playing some variation of Hanafuda I hadn't yet learned but was intrigued by at the dining room table, and by the looks of it, Rin was winning. Kakashi watched them absently, his eyes going from them to the pages of his book.

I eyed the patio door longingly. Not that I wasn't enjoying their company, but this was usually the time of night when I actually liked being out in the open. The sky was splattered with bits of blue, pink and gold; the sun almost completely disappeared into the horizon. I gazed over at Rin, who currently was giggling at her Sensei's brutal defeat.

"Hey sis, could I go sit outside? Please?" She pursed her lips, and seemed to be going over a yes or no answer in her mind. She was pulled away from her train of thought when Minato spoke up all of a sudden, as he stood from his chair.

"That reminds me, Rin. Kushina and I have something to talk to you about." Kushina's head popped up from between the pages of the photo album. They shared another one of those looks, and she got up quickly, but not before patting Obito's head and telling him she'd be back shortly. Surprise spread over Rin's face, and she searched their expressions for any clues of what they could've wanted, but found none. She bit her lip again and glanced from me to the glass doors that led to the patio.

"Um, ok. Obito, would you go sit outside with-"

 _"I'll do it."_ Kakashi hadn't said a single word the entire night, and that was the last thing I think anyone expected him to say, especially now. I had never wanted to know what he was thinking more than at that moment. He maintained that unreadable look in his eye like he always did, and of course you couldn't assume anything by any of the other features on his face. Rin gave him a suspicious glance, but fallowed Minato and Kushina into the other room. I bit the inside of my cheek, and nearly fell on my face as I tried to climb down the mountain of books that was currently my thrown. Kakashi hadn't waited for me, and was already sitting down the deck with his legs crossed. I didn't know what he was trying to achieve. If it was to make me so nervous I wanted to hurl, then congratulations, Kakashi. Mission accomplished.

I took small, tentative steps toward him before I sat down at his far right. He stayed quiet, keeping his eyes pointed at the night sky, the sun minutes away from setting entirely. I pulled my knees up to my chin like I always did when I was nervous, and tried to direct my mind to guessing what Kushina and Minato had wanted to talk to Rin about. So far, I had nothing.

"I'm sorry." His words interrupted our shared silence so abruptly, I nearly jumped. I collected myself, and smoothed my skirt out over my legs and twisted my hands together. I hadn't really expected Kakashi to apologize for anything ever, like I hadn't expected Rin to want to strangle him to death. That just wasn't who he was, not now. I thought that maybe he had been urged to by Minato, which was probably right. Still, I shrugged my small shoulders and looked over to him, his eyes scanning me in a way that I couldn't tell if he was bored or curious.

"I'm sorry, too." I didn't know which I felt worse about; breaking down in front of everyone, or almost fucking up dinner. I hadn't wanted Rin, or really anyone, to have to see me shatter and break like that, but I guess it was just a matter of time before they did. I had been like this for as long as I can remember, and hoping it was something I could've left behind with my old body was pretty pointless. "I shouldn't have run into the shop like that, and I shouldn't have cried like I did. So, I'm sorry." I picked at my nails, and added, "You're still kind of an ass, though." That's the most I had spoken without stumbling over my words, and it made me grin triumphantly. He grunted, like that was something he wanted to argue with but knew to be true. We lapsed into another silence, this time more peaceful instead of an internally screaming type of awkward.

It wasn't long after that when the patio door was pulled open by Rin, her eyes falling instantly on Kakashi. I nudged him, but he didn't move. After several pokes to his side, he gave me the stank eye and stood up and turned around to face my sister. She had her arms crossed, and looked at him like a parent waiting for their child to admit what they did wrong. She sorta was, but I'm sure if I were to say that, she'd pout at me for an eternity.

"I'm sorry." He didn't elaborate on what, but he didn't have to. Her expression softened, and I could tell she wanted to hug him, but she knew where his boundaries were and not to cross them. Minato appeared behind Rin with Kushina next to him, her hands wrapped tightly around his arm. Kakashi made a quick and quiet exit, but not before having a kiss swiftly placed on the side of his cheek from Kushina. I was sure he was blushing, but unfortunately, the world would never know. They were all looking at me like they were trying to decide who was going to speak first, which was slightly concerning. I suppose it was silently decided that it was Rin's turn, because she got on her knees in front of me and grabbed both of my hands.

"Hanami, I know you think you're fine while I'm gone during the day, but I really worry about you when you're by yourself." She ran her thumbs over my knuckles gently, and her eyes never broke contact with mine. "Kushina isn't going to be listed on the mission roster for a while, so she thought that maybe you wouldn't mind if she were to watch after you during the day, while I'm gone." Kushina waved at me, a big grin splitting across her face. Being by myself, even if for less than five hours, could get miserably lonely. I was also pretty aware that we lived in a shitty part of the village, and I wouldn't put it past one of my neighbors to rape and murder a toddler. It would be nice; having someone there with me when Rin was gone, and I had a feeling Kushina and I were going to get along just fine.

"I'd like that."

A loud squeal erupted from Kushina like lava from a volcano, and she pulled Rin and me into another tight embrace, her hand darting out and pulling Minato in, too. It felt like being congratulated by your parents after some massive achievement, in a way. The smile fell from Rin's face, a somber sadness replacing it.


	6. Chapter Five:

•

* * *

 **Chapter Five: Wherein Kushina becomes a nanny,** **a mission is completed with startling speed and** **Hanami reads a book.**

•

 **"…I was also pretty aware that we lived in a shitty part** **of the village, and I wouldn't put it past one of my** **neighbors to rape and murder a toddler. It would be** **nice, having someone there with me when Rin was gone, and I had a feeling Kushina and I were going to** **get along just fine."**

 **Hanami**

"…I know this isn't the first time you've watched her, but are you _sure_ you can handle things for four days?" We were in Kushina and Minato's apartment, the latter waiting in the living room with the rest of his team. Rin had been pacing the floors since this morning, and I knew she didn't get the amount of sleep that she really needed. She was minutes away from embarking on her first c-rank and honestly, it was a little depressing that she wasn't the least bit excited.

"Hey, I got it, Rin-chan! I'm great with kids!" She gave Rin an unwavering grin that she only responded to with a twitchy brow and a heavy sigh. Kakashi loudly cleared his throat, which didn't really help the situation at all. She glared in his general direction before looking back to me and Kushina, her eyes on me this time.

"You'll behave, won't you?" She knew I would, but I guess it didn't hurt to ask. It was then that Obito and Kakashi deemed it the opportune moment to enter the kitchen, their expressions ranging from rather insulting disdain to bubbling excitement. I'll let you guess who's who.

"Rin, we need to go. Punctuality is ninja 101, and I won't be late." The amount of times I have heard him say "ninja 101" was ridiculous. Rin cast him a sidelong glance that was anything but adoring. I didn't know what it made me feel, watching her crush on him slowly fade into obscurity. But I guess you shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch, because his hand brushed over my head in a Hatake brand of affection kind of way that made her face come alive in that glowing smile of hers. Yep, still enamored.

"He has a point, Rin-chan." Minato's hand came down on her head with a sunny smile on his lips. Obito was jogging in place, his eyes glued to the door.

"Yeah, for once, I gotta agree with Kakashi, Rin-chan. We can't be late on our first c-rank!" She bit down on her lip, and her shoulders sagged in defeat.

"I love you, ok? Be good." She pressed a kiss to the top of my head, and after she was done, so did Obito and Minato. Kakashi had already walked out of the apartment and was probably halfway down the street by the time they were done saying their goodbyes. Rin eyed me one last time as she lingered in the doorway for several seconds, before she shut it behind her and Obito. I watched them go solemnly, but was almost immediately scooped up into Kushina's arms, so there really wasn't any room to be too upset.

Getting to know the flaming red head was pretty easy. She'd reveal anything you asked of her, and if you didn't feel like talking, she'd hold up the conversation for both ends. She wasn't lying when she said she was great with kids, either, considering she practically was one herself. She could sit with you for hours with a coloring book and crowns, and get a little bit too into it for someone that was in their twenties. Nonetheless, she had grown on me in the month since she had become my impromptu nanny. This was also going to be the longest I have stayed in her care; Rin always made sure to get home to me after a minimum of six hours, but that was starting to become hard to do as Minato wanted to train them for longer. It made me angry with myself that I was becoming a hindrance on her progress as a kunoichi, but I tried not to look at it that way, however hard it was.

"So, what do ya wanna do first, Hanami-chan?" During this month, I had discovered that Kushina was an invaluable help when it came truly getting a grasp on accurately reading Japanese, something I have struggled with since I had begun learning the language. Obviously, I could speak it fine, but programming into my brain all of the hiragana and kanji and the correct way you use them was the cause of many D's and F's and countless hours of beating my head against a table. Truly, why I had stayed in the class for as many years as I did or how I wasn't kicked out was a mystery.

"Can we work on my reading again, Kushina-san?"

•

 **Rin**

I was _completely_ freaking out-no, this was a borderline nervous breakdown. I had never been away from Hanami-chan for more than twelve hours, at most. That versus four days was basically a century. I trusted Kushina-san, and I knew she was more than capable of caring for Hanami. But that didn't mean I wasn't going to nearly hyperventilate at the thought of leaving my sister with her for an entire ninety-six hours.

"Rin, _calm down_. We'll be home before she can even miss you." I made a whining sound. Obito had tried to keep me from ripping my hair out since yesterday, when we, as in Obito, had accepted the mission. The mission itself only included bringing two scrolls from the Hokage to the Fire Daimyo within the next four days. The journey to and from would take two days to complete each. Most importantly, it was a c-rank, and our first as a team. Obito had pounced on it as soon as the Hokage said it was up for grabs, and left little room for anyone to argue. That was Obito for you. I knew that the mission was going to be low risk, but that wasn't what I was worried about. She'd be fine, and I knew that. But the thought of not seeing her for three whole days… It was going to be the first time, but definitely not the last, that we would be apart for that amount of time, and probably longer than that in the future. I wasn't sure that I liked that thought at all.

"Kushina and Hanami-chan get along great. They'll be fine, I swear." It was Minato-sensei this time. I kind of felt bad for doubting his girlfriend right in front of him, but I couldn't help it. I felt like _such_ a mom. Obito had his hand on my shoulder as we walked out of the village gates, and it took every ounce of willpower in my body not to look back before they were closed shut. I felt torn. When I was still studying at the academy, lessons about my own and neighboring countries had always been my favorite. Then, I had been excited to someday see more than what was confided to Konohagakure. _Now_ … things were so much different. Deep down, I knew Hanami would be just fine. But not being able to verify that with my own eyes was what was throwing me off.

"I know, sensei." Kakashi-kun looked at me out of the corner of his eye. I didn't know if he wanted to say something and just didn't know how, or if he was silently judging me. Maybe both. He was the unreadable type.

"…just don't let your worries get in the way of the success of this mission, Rin." I almost paused, but didn't. I often thought that since Kakashi-kun had only really had Minato to worry over him that he just didn't know how to grasp the concept of family bonds. I didn't know what had happened to his parents, and I never asked. Whatever made him freeze up the way he does when people hug him or when Kushina asks how his day went couldn't have come from anything good. That aside, I was still irked by the way he sometimes handled Hanami, and I tried not to take it to heart. For the most part, I succeeded.

"It won't, Kakashi-kun." I faced him and gave him the smallest of smiles. He didn't return it, but he never really did, anyway. I swallowed the lump in my throat with a hard gulp. Three days isn't that long. Only ninety six more hours to go.

•

 **Hanami**

" _The ninja…the ninja was…brave_?" I wanted to punch a fucking wall. We had been doing this for three hours, with progress so pitiful it wasn't even worth mentioning. I had studied this language for three years, dammit! _Why_ was it still so difficult?

Kushina had tried to throw in some kanji as a warm up, and that alone made me want to throw the notebook across the room. Kanji were the hardest part. Three thousand of those fucking things, there were to memorize. Inoue-sensei, my old teacher, was laughing maniacally in another dimension at my failures and a lack of Google translates as a way to try and fix them, most attempts unsuccessful.

" _Very_ good, Hanami-chan!" Finally! We high fived, and moved onto the next string of words. The structure of the sentences were simple, something you'd expect a child to learn from. But I didn't want to read simple, entry level baby books. I was craving refined reading material. I wanted to regain a bit of normalcy in my life. Reading had been a form of escaping for me before, and not being able to do that was beyond aggravating. And honestly, it shouldn't be this difficult for me. It was kinda pathetic.

"If you can get to the end of this page, we'll go out for a treat, ok?" She ruffled my hair encouragingly. Sweets weren't something Rin and I could really afford, so I perked up in anticipation. My eyes scanned over the page, and my heart bubbled with happiness when the words flowed past my lips with more ease than before.

"…The ninja was strong?" This time, I was awarded with a squeal and a tight hug. I kept my eyes on the page, the gears in my head spinning together at a rate I was happier with. "The ninja was fast." I said it with a strong conviction, and a smile splitting over my cheeks. "The ninja was smart." I felt the excitement rise in my chest like a hot air balloon. Kushina had her hands closed over mouth, her eyes glossed over with pride. I pulled the workbook onto my lap, and traced my finger by the words as I read them aloud.

"The ninja… _could read_." It was corny, but my smile widened regardless. Kushina clapped vigorously and flung her arms around me again, this time standing, spinning and dancing. The sound of our triumphant giggles could be heard probably halfway across the village.

Suck my entire ass, Inoue-sensei!

"You did it! Rin is going to be so proud!" At the mention of her name, if it were possible, my grin got even brighter.

•

 **Rin**

"Don't you think we should set up camp?" Obito shouted from behind me, but I didn't stop my accelerated pace as I jumped from one tree to the next. It was dusk, and we had been traveling for about nine hours with minimal pause. I halted my ascension and fell back, now standing next to Obito on the branch of a thick tree. Sensei and Kakashi-kun joined us as I opened up my map of the Land of Fire. My eyes widened with the realization that we were over a fourth of the way there. That was… kind of startling, to be honest.

"Can we _please_ set up camp, now?" I honestly couldn't tell if Obito was asking for my permission or Sensei's. I also couldn't tell if Kakashi was amused or concerned for my mental health. I had been the one that had insisted on getting there as fast as possible, but I guess they didn't know just I _how_ fast I planned on going. The medic in me knew that it was definitely a bad idea, but the raging older sister in me really didn't give a shit. Er…excuse my language. I guess all this adrenaline was getting to me.

"Yes, that's fine. Or, will that be a _problem_ , Rin-chan?" My face turned red. Sensei grinned and hopped down from the tree branch, Obito trailing close behind. Kakashi-kun looked at me with a gleam in his eye that I couldn't really describe- nonetheless, I blushed like an idiot and turned my face away from him. I jumped down from the branch and joined the rest of my team. Obito was still trying to catch his breath, and his knees where starting to buckle like he was seconds away from collapsing. I was a medic. I should know that pushing myself this hard was dangerous, but letting my teammates do it, too? I couldn't hide the guilt in my expression as I crouched down next to him, as he drained the contents of his water bottle feverishly.

"I'm really sorry, Obito. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard." After what was probably five minutes of heavy panting, his breathing finally returned to normal. He wiped the excess water from his lips on the back of his sleeve and flashed me a grin. A thousand of his reassuring smiles wouldn't have made me feel any less guilty at the moment, unfortunately.

"It's alright, Rin-chan." His eyes drifted over to Kakashi-kun and sensei, which were in the process of setting up camp. Neither of them showed any signs of fatigue. His lips curled downwards in a resentful scowl, and he tightened the cap back onto his canteen.

"Are your muscles cramping? Do they hurt?" He nodded briskly. I ran my hand over his left calf, and he winced. I rolled up his pant leg and concentrated healing chakra into the palms of my hands. His face was completely red, but he still sighed contently and relaxed against the tree we were sitting under. I caught Kakashi looking at us over his shoulder, causing me to blush. Nowadays, I wasn't entirely sure what I really felt about him. If you had asked me a year ago, I would've blushed and stuttered and generally just would've been a flustered mess. Now, especially after what had happened at the butcher shop with Hanami-chan a few weeks ago, my feelings for him had shifted. In what direction exactly, I wasn't sure. It would be a lot better if I didn't have a crush in him, anyway. Team dating wasn't prohibited, but it _was_ frowned upon. It distracted from the overall success of the team and the missions that they're assigned. He… he didn't like me that way, anyhow.

I turned my attention away from Kakashi and concentrated on Obito. I had always liked the feeling of heeling chakra. It was warm and calm, just like my mother's eyes. She'd be scolding me right now if she knew that I had not only physically strained myself, but allowed my teammate to, as well. I furrowed my brow as I moved onto his other leg. He was still blushing, especially as I started working on the muscles on his thigh. Suddenly, he jerked away from me and put one leg over the other. He was blushing so hard it had reached his ears.

"T-that's enough, Rin-chan! T-thanks!" Kakashi scoffed. I halted the flow of chakra to my hands and eyed Obito curiously. I was nowhere _near_ done, and I could tell by his grimace as he crossed his legs that he was still in pain. He had his hands stuffed in between his legs, like he was forcing something down and out of sight.

"Obito, I wasn't done. You're obviously still in pain, why won't you let me-"

"It's because he has an erection, Rin." Sensei firmly slapped the back of Kakashi's head, but it didn't pahse him. Oh… _oh_. That would explain a few things. My eyes darted from Obito's eyes to his crotch, and I found myself quickly turning into the color of a tomato. I considered giving him the whole "It's ok, _all_ boys your age get erections randomly" spiel, but for one, I wasn't his parent or his doctor. For two, I wasn't sure either of us could handle anymore embarrassment.

"Um… uh, I'll take first watch, ok guys?" I hastily grabbed my things and didn't wait for a response. I darted up into a tree branch not too far from the ground, and pulled my legs up to my chest. My hands covered my burning cheeks in an attempt to cool off, but it was pointless. From down below, I heard what was probably sensei trying to pry Obito's hands off from around Kakashi's neck. Or more realistically as he wouldn't have gotten that close, holding Obito down while he cooled off, with Kakashi standing off at the side making snide remarks about Obito's capabilities as a ninja. I wasn't sure, and I wasn't checking, either. But it was undoubtedly the latter.

Instead of focusing on giving one of my best friends a boner, I kept my eyes pointed at the starry sky above. When I was younger, my dad would bring sleeping bags and snacks up onto the roof top and we would sleep there, but only when momma was pulling double shifts. It was our little secret, and I hadn't realized how much I cherished those moments until he and our family home had been reduced to rubble. I swallowed down the tears that I wished I could let fall. No one would see me cry except the stars, but I wasn't even willing to let them see me show weakness. Right now, I was a ninja. And ninja do _not_ cry. I could bawl my eyes out when I got home, and when Hanami was fast asleep under our shared covers. She didn't need to see me like that, either. I had to be strong for the both of us and for my parents, even if they weren't around to see it.

My shift came and went, but I didn't sleep more than an hour. The only thing I could think about was getting home, even if home was no longer a place with my parents, but a tiny person. The crumbling exterior that we lived in didn't matter, as long as she was there.

•

 **Hanami**

"Wake up wake up, Hanami-chan!" I grumbled and groaned, covering my face entirely with the thick duvet. Kushina yanked it away from me and threw it off of her bead, the intrusive light of the sun engulfing my entire body. It was the morning of the third day since they had departed, and they weren't due home until tomorrow afternoon. I may or may not be counting down the hours, or minutes. Definitely not.

"God, why so early?" she scooped me up in her arms and I covered my face with her hair. It wasn't quite as long as it had been canonically, but it was getting there.

" _Well_ , I thought you'd be excited to know that they returned to the village this morning!" Any traces of drowsiness were completely washed away from my mind. I swept her hair away from my face and felt the excitement wash over me. Wow, a whole _day_ early? This was like freaking Christmas!

"How did they get home so fast?" I was sat down at the table, where five places had been set. I was practically bouncing in my seat. I saw the omelets, tofu, miso soup and rice that she had already prepared, and my stomach bellowed a low, angry growl. Japanese people did _not_ fuck around when it came to breakfast.

"Apparently, Rin _insisted_ they get home as soon as possible." Kushina filled a cup full of orange juice and sat it in front of me. It was a sippy cup, but I was too excited and way to hungry to really care.

"We're back!" I fell on my way out of my chair, but I wasn't even bothered by it. I ran to the door as fast as my feet would carry me, and instantly flung myself at my sister. She giggled, twirling me in the air, and held me against her for several moments before Kushina yelled at us to come to the kitchen. Obito kept his eyes pointed at the table top the whole time, nearly falling out of his seat when Rin placed her hand on his shoulder as she walked past him. I was tempted to ask, but figured that I shouldn't by the look Obito was wearing. Kind of a mix of mortification and deep regret, it seemed.

"So, how was your mission?" The food was sat down in front of me, and it was down my throat and in the process of digestion before anyone else had even picked up their chopsticks. I had remembered the manga saying how incredible of a cook she was, and it hadn't lied. Definitely beat my mom's heavy cooking. That woman knew not how to control the amount of butter she put into dishes, or maybe she just never cared.

"It went great!" Minato was as chipper as ever. Kushina kissed his cheek as she walked past him, but not before giving Obito a worried glance. The boy had completely paused in his chewing, and almost looked like he was going to pass out into his rice. Rin cleared her throat hoarsely, and he started shoveling the food into his face again.

What in the _fuck_ happened to him?

"Yeah, Kushina. It was great." He was lying and we all knew it, but nothing was said of it. Minato filled her in on the basics of what had occurred, and then of course how _cute_ it was how Rin was so insistent on getting home to me as fast as she could. We stayed there until breakfast was over, when it had become obvious that Minato wanted some alone time with his girlfriend. We heard her giggling before we had even made it down the hallway.

"What's wrong with Obito?" I had asked, after he had promptly left us in front of his sensei's apartment. Usually, he'd walk us home no matter the situation. But today, he left with the sort of urgency that nearly caused him to trip on his own feet. I was truly surprised that he hadn't.

"I dunno. Maybe he has to use the bathroom." She said it in a way that instantly let on that she knew something I didn't, but I let it slide. We both walked with a bounce in our step, even as we got weird looks from passerby as we neared our side of Konoha. When we got home, we spent the rest of the day talking and coloring, something I was finding myself enjoying more than someone who was nearly nineteen really should.

That night, I was woken by the sound of Rin's hushed sobbing. I rolled over and let her cry into my chest until we both had fallen back asleep. I hadn't asked what had upset her as bad as she was, and she didn't tell me. It was the first time I had seen her cry since our parents had died.

•

 **Six, almost seven, pre written chapters left that I need to edit and post. It'll probably be caught up entirely by Friday.** _ **Probably**_ **. Don't hold me on that. Also, fun fact; the song that inspired this fanficiton is** _ **New Perspective**_ **by Panic! At the Disco. In fact, I really should've named it that, and might still. Should I, or should I leave it how it is? Oh, and another thing. I have never, in all of the years I have been writing, written a story past chapter five. This chapter was originally started on April 8th, and wasn't finished until May 1** **st** **. While I do like how it turned out, it's still my least favorite installment to date. Anyway, chapter six is almost done being edited, so I'll post it tomorrow morning or the next. Have a lovely day, or night.**


	7. Chapter Six:

**Yo, dawg. You should skip down to the author's note and read it before the chapter, k thanks.**

•

 **Chapter Six: Wherein Team Minato has the day off,** **Hanami makes a friend and Rin bathes in victory.**

 **(…** _ **and alternatively, the author does something predictable**_ **.)**

•

" **My shift came and went, but I didn't sleep more than an hour. The only thing I could think about was getting home, even if home was no longer a place with my parents, but a tiny person. The crumbling exterior that we lived in didn't matter, as long as she was there."**

 **Rin**

Have I mentioned before that Hanami-chan talks in her sleep? No? Well, she does. And often, which includes this morning, as well. It's usually a sign that her mind is so completely turned off that she probably won't be waking up on her own until noon, or if I make her. Even then, sometimes she's not fully conscious until much later. It's kinda hilariously adorable to watch, but I took pity on her and let her sleep in. She needed it, anyway. I did, too, but that could wait. Getting food in our fridge took top priority. Besides, the village was buzzing with activity this early. Even if she wasn't asleep, she wouldn't have gone with me, anyhow. That said, Obito was watching her for me. Having someone that tended to her while I was away made me realize how uneasy I was about leaving her alone, so I didn't anymore.

It had been nearly four months since our first c-rank, and almost everything had resumed as normal. We haven't been taking d-ranks, which I'm sure we were all completely alright with that. I would do what I was assigned because that's what a ninja does, but if I had to wrestle Tora to the ground one more time, I might break something. The air that hung around my team was a bit stiff since we had gotten home. Obito didn't look at me for a week afterwards, and he only did when I sat him down and told him I wasn't mad or grossed out by what had happened. Still, he was hesitant to accept physical contact from me, which was so incredibly abnormal. Obito was typically a hug machine, and I found myself missing his embraces. I'd never tell him that, though. Oh, and Kakashi was as Kakashi as ever.

By the time I got to the market place, it was half past eleven and full of sweaty bodies. It was almost October, but it still felt very much like the middle of July. Hey, we didn't live in the Land of Fire for nothin'. We'd have a short winter and even shorter spring, too. That's just how things went.

Despite the headband I was wearing, a few stray hairs stuck to my forehead. Gosh, today was going to be _awful_. I was wearing shorts and a tank top, but even that felt like too much. I tried to distract myself from the uncomfortable layer of sweat that clung to my skin by reading my grocery list. Eggs, rice, fish… and a _lot_ of those things, too. I hadn't realized how low we were on healthy foods, and it made me feel guilty. Growing bodies do _not_ need to be eating instant ramen and potato chips for dinner. I'm looking at you, Obito.

"Rin-chan?" I nearly sprang from my skin at the sound of my name being called. I couldn't really place the voice immediately, but I knew her face well. Mikoto Uchiha, much like every Uchiha woman I had ever met but even more so, was stunningly gorgeous. She was the kind of beauty that made your stomach stir, regardless of sexual preferences. Kushina was like that, too. That was where their similarities ended, though. But maybe that's why they're such good friends.

"O- _oh_ , Mikoto-sama!" I bowed quickly and deeply, a redness forming on my face that wasn't from the heat. "What brings you here?" Idiot. Stupid idiot. Why did I ask that? We're in the middle of the market. She definitely wasn't here to go _fly fishing_ , dummy. I wanted to slap myself. She smiled anyway, and I wanted to smile, too, but my failure as a human being was keeping me from doing that.

"No need to be so formal, Rin-chan." She giggled, but it only made the blush grow darker and reach my ears. I had only met Mikoto-sama a handful of times before; mostly when I was dropping by Obito's to wake him for school. She beat me to it, sometimes; and even made breakfast for him, if I recalled right. She was kind, gentle and approachable. Which I'll be honest, wasn't something that I expected. Uchiha could be standoffish a lot of the time, excluding Obito. And Mikoto. _Obviously_.

Even though she told me not to be formal, I still bowed and muttered a quick apology. I hadn't noticed until then that there was a small boy hugging her leg, his coal eyes staring up at me, wide and lovely. Even from here, I could see the longness of his eyelashes as they almost touched his brow. Of _course_ the Uchiha clan heir was one of the most beautiful children I had ever seen.

"Oh, is that your son?" I said, my knees bending down so that I was eye level with him. In a weird way, he looked wise, which was a silly thought considering he was probably around Hanami-chan's age. "What's your name?" Wasn't it Karasu, or something like that? No… no, that didn't seem quite right. Risu, maybe?

"My name is Itachi Uchiha. Pleased to meet you, Rin-San." Ah, that was it. I had been sort of close. He bowed with his small hands pressed together. My brows rose, and my lips tugged into a smile. Of _course_ he could speak that well. Inside that pretty head of his was probably an infinite genius, just waiting to be unlocked. Or maybe I was looking too much into it, but probably wasn't.

"There's actually something I need to talk to you about, Rin-chan." I almost jumped, but had enough will not to. I had completely forgotten she was standing there, and from that gleam in her eyes, I think she knew it, too. "Kushina had mentioned that your younger sister was around Itachi-kun's age, yes?" My eyes widened again. I nodded my head vigorously, my eagerness causing her lips to broaden into another smile. Itachi seemed nice, and very polite. He'd make a good friend for Hanami-chan, which is where I hoped this was going.

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to schedule a play date for her and Itachi-kun? There aren't many children in the clan his age, except for his cousin. I'd really like it if he had another person to play with, and from what Kushina said about Hanami-chan, I think they'll get along fantastically." I couldn't keep the excitement from my appearing all over my face. Hanami-chan's list of friends included me, Obito, Kushina-san and Minato-sensei, and sometimes Kakashi. But we didn't really count. She needed someone her own age, and from the sound of it, there'd be one more potential friend that came with Itachi like a packaged deal.

"Yes! That'd be _wonderful_! We'd love that!" For the third time in five minutes, I was utterly embarrassing myself in front of the Uchiha matriarch, but was too excited to really feel bad about it. She looked a bit taken aback by my outburst, but laughed and smiled again, anyway. I simmered down and tucked my hands behind my back, grinning even though I felt like a tool. Mikoto-sama had a way about her that just made things feel serene. I guess that came from being a mother.

"I was hoping you'd say that." she reached into her purse and supplied me a small slip of blue paper, the hand writing so neat and pristine it made me wonder if it was written using a stencil. "Here's my phone number. How does tomorrow at the park sound?" My attention switched to Itachi. He was wringing out his hands, like he wasn't sure how he really felt about meeting someone new. I crouched down to him again, his attention turning from the rock his foot was gently nudging back to me. He blinked owlishly. I wanted to pinch his cheeks really, _really_ bad, but stopped myself. Refrain, Nohara. _Refrain_.

"Itachi-kun, does that sound alright?" He seemed contemplative for a moment before looking back up at his mother. Her expression was still warm and soft, and she nodded her head. Itachi-kun switched his eyes back to me. He bowed again, but this time smiled, if only a little bit. Oh my god. He has dimples.

"I would like that, Rin-san. I look forward to meeting her." Despite the bit of uncertainty that still lingered in his eyes, he looked and sounded sincere. I couldn't hold it in any longer; I reached forward and lightly ruffled his hair, deciding that pinching his cheeks was a bit too grandma-y. A small blush blossomed on his rounded face. Mikoto laughed again, an airy sort of sound that you wouldn't get tired of even if you heard it a thousand times. My embarrassed flush had faded, and I found myself able to chuckle. I stood and almost bowed again, but settled for a small nod.

"We'll be there, definitely! I think they'll be great friends." I really, wholeheartedly _prayed_ that they would. Maybe if she had a friend she could actually do normal kid things with, it would help her bloom into the social butterfly I knew she could be. She just needed a little nudge. Maybe that's what Itachi needed, too. Although, I doubt he'll be spreading wings and flying head first into social activities any time soon. He really didn't seem like the type.

"We'll be looking forward to it, Rin-chan. We have to go now, though. I have a bit of shopping to do." She reached down and picked Itachi-kun up in her arms. His inky locks had fallen back into place after I had messed them up, and I had yet to notice how incredibly shiny they were. I didn't think I'd ever say this, but I was _ridiculously_ jealous of a toddler's hair.

"See you tomorrow!" I called after them as they walked away. Mikoto looked over her shoulder, still beaming. I watched her until she disappeared around the side of a produce stand. I clutched the note to my chest, my heart bubbling with so much excitement I could probably squeal. I started in the direction of my apartment, and _did_ end up slapping my forehead when I remembered why I was here in the first place. I could really be an airhead sometimes.

•

 **Hanami**

"When do you think Rin-chan will be back?" We were lying on my floor haphazardly, sighing in content when the fan washed precious, cool air over our sticky skin. In case you were wondering, yes; our air conditioner was still broken as shit. Our landlord had tried to fix it with a paper clip and some duct tape, but no dice. He wasn't paying for a real repair job, either. _Asshole_.

I slowly rolled my head over to look at Obito. He had come over this morning with his shirt already off, and had stayed that way. I had been living in hand-me-down sundresses from Rin and a few that Kushina had bought me, but I craved nudity, or if nothing else, partial. Nothing would feel better right now than to jump butt ass naked into a tub filled with ice water. But I couldn't do that for a few reasons; one, Japanese bath tubs were tiny, and two; Rin wouldn't let me, anyway. And apparently, there were no public pools anywhere in Konoha. But yet, they had bath houses. These people made _no_ sense.

"What, are you getting tired of me?" I asked, but wasn't serious. To be honest, I was incapable of really being anything at the moment except for a puddle of armpit sweat and desperation. I hadn't a clue how anyone functioned normally in this kind of weather. I hadn't missed Bay Area climate more than I did right now in the year and eight months I had been trapped here. If I didn't assimilate soon, I'd probably die of a heat stroke.

"No, it's not that. I'm just starving." His stomach _had_ been growling for about ten minutes. I wasn't sure at first why he hadn't eaten something at home, but it occurred to me he was probably more behind on grocery shopping than we were. The kid practically lived off of instant noodles and chips, as gross as that sounds.

On that note, I heard the sound of what was undoubtedly Rin treading up the rickety steps that led to our floor of the apartment building. Obito sprang up and went to the door to open it, taking a bag of groceries from Rin in the process. I sighed. I didn't want to move, but I forced myself to, anyway. I slowly peeled my body from the tatami mat and hauled myself to my feet. I felt bad that I hadn't been there to help her carry things once I saw how much she had bought, but it was pointless to. She wouldn't have let me carry anything, even if I begged.

"If I knew you'd be buying this much stuff, I would've come with you!" Obito projected my thoughts for me. I opened the fridge, and Rin handed me things so I could put them away. Watching the shelves of the fridge being filled with so much food made me realize just how barren it had been. We had mainly just been eating whatever Kushina brought over. Despite having been hauling groceries in Konoha's famous humidity moments before, Rin seemed weirdly elated. She usually always had a bright air of optimism about her, but this was different.

"It's ok, Obito! I was fine by myself." Obito must've taken notice to her sunny mood, too, because his expression went from "If I don't stop sweating right now I'm going to smash my head into a wall", to "Oh my god, she's _precious_ ". The grin he had on his face any time she was around was worthy of a romance novel. I smirked, but it didn't last long before I grunted in aggravation, trying to reach the top shelf of the fridge so I could place a carton of eggs there. Rin took the eggs from my hands before I broke them, and gently placed them next to the leftover rice balls from last night. "Hanami-chan, there's something I need to talk to you about, ok?" She didn't use the tone she did when it was something serious, but I didn't know if that made me feel any less uneasy about it.

I had a lot of experience as a kid, from the nearly two years here to the ten or so odd ones from before. When a parent, or in this case Rin, wanted to "talk to you about something", it by default couldn't be anything pleasant. But I didn't express that thought. She looked so happy, and I didn't want to ruin that contagious grin. So I played along, and tried to mask the apprehensive look in my eyes with fake curiosity.

"What about?" Obito helped pull me into a chair, now with a real, _actual_ seat booster attached. I adamantly refused a high chair, claiming my dignity wouldn't allow it, which was one hundred percent true. I may outwardly be a toddler, but I wasn't a baby, goddammit. Just vertically challenged at the moment. Some of the rice balls I mentioned were sat in front of me, and I had to slap Obito's hand away as he tried to nab one. He got his share and literally inhaled them. Damn, I guess he _was_ starving.

" _Well_ ," she turned away from the stove, the tea kettle brewing a fresh pot of ginseng tea, my favorite. She was trying to butter me up, I realized. This was further proven when I saw her reach into one of the paper grocery bags and retrieve a container of chocolate Yan Yan, something I rarely got because "Sugar is bad for you, yada yada yada." It too was placed in front of me, and my eyes squinted at her in suspicion. She still held onto that smile of hers like she wasn't planning something. Despite being an obvious bribe, I ripped the Yan Yan open and began eating it. No _way_ was I giving up unprovoked sweets basically being thrown into my lap.

"It's about a play date." Cue me chocking on my precious candy, the chocolate paste getting stuck to the walls of my throat. Obito patted me on the back rather roughly, even though it wasn't necessary, as my hacking quickly subsided.

"What? Why?" I stared at her, dumbstruck. Play date? Was she serious? I don't 'play'. For fucks _sake_ , I'm almost nineteen years old…except I wasn't. To her and everyone else, I was a baby. Babies go on play dates, and throw mud at each other, and played with dolls. I had thoroughly enjoyed those things at one point in my life, but couldn't really see myself now. Now, if we're talking ball pits, then absolutely, sign me up. But they didn't have those here; I knew, because I had already asked. The disappointment I felt can't really be described in words.

"I don't wanna go on a play date!" I sounded bratty, but I didn't care enough to correct myself. Rin's face softened and she sat down at the chair to my right.

"It's just you don't have any friends your age, Hanami-chan." that's because my age physically didn't match how old I was mentally, as "twelve year old suburban white kid" as that sounded. "And I really think you and Itachi-kun will get along."

I'm glad I wasn't in the process of swallowing something, because I would've choked on it…again. Itachi was someone that I had put in a crate in the back of my mind, then bound it with chains and buried it as far into the ground and as close to the center of the earth as it would allow. Every second of that kid's life was going to lead to an unfathomable amount of pain, and I didn't want to touch that with a nine thousand foot poll. I was already attached to too many people that had death sentences following them around like gray, ominous rain clouds. I really didn't need another to add to the list.

"Oh, Itachi-kun? He's a really sweet kid, Hanami-chan. You'll like him." That wasn't the point, Obito. I took a bite of the treat and swallowed it hard. Truth was, without even having met him yet, he scared the life out of me. I knew that as a child, even though we saw very little of him, that he was a kind and gentle person. But the image of him dying at Sasuke's hand, or when he was forced to kill his family played on repeat in my head if I thought about him, and no matter how hard I tried to turn it off, it wouldn't. It was like the first few months that I had known Rin. Every time she smiled, I couldn't stop myself from seeing blood trickling out of her mouth with Kakashi's hand speared through her chest. It took me nearly a year for that image to leave my thoughts, and I wasn't sure I wanted that to happen all over again.

"Who's Itachi?" I played dumb because I thought it was the best option. Really, what I wanted to ask was how in the _hell_ this even came about. Had Kushina somehow played a role in this? I knew she was just as concerned as Rin about my social life, but Rin knew me a bit better. She knew meeting new people made me squirm. Meeting Itachi Uchiha might just make me pass out.

"Itachi is the heir to the Uchiha clan." Rin said, removing our plates from the table once we were done with them. She poured the hot tea into my designated cup and added a hefty squeeze of honey. Oh, did she know me well. "He's about your age, and he has a hard time making friends, too." That's right. He only ever really had one friend when he was still in Konoha, right? For the life of me, I couldn't remember his name. He was pretty important, too, wasn't he? Ah, shit. This was going to bother me for the rest of the day.

"Yeah, he only really ever hangs out with Shisui. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen one without the other." or maybe it wouldn't. Thanks, Obi _bro_. As his name sunk into my brain, memories of his fate flashed before my eyes in a whirlwind of tragedy. I wanted to slam my head against a wall. This is _so_ not what I needed right now.

"Hey, maybe you'll get to meet him, too." Nope. Not happening. That just felt… wrong. I had remembered them being written as the closest of best friends, more like brothers. Hell, Shisui dying is what awakened Itachi's Mangekyō Sharigan. The love between them had to be intense. And honestly, I don't know if I wanted to interfere with that. I'm saying this, of course, with the thought that either of them would even like me, which there was a chance they would not.

I wasn't mean by nature. I had momentarily considered being a cunt to the both of them to shoo them away, but that was rather quickly out. If I was being honest, I was nice to a fault. I had a habit of letting people treat me like a doormat without speaking up for myself, and it had always been like that. The only thing different from me before I had died to me now was my exterior. I didn't have a mean bone in my former body, or this one. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to treat either of them with malice, and that irked me. The more I sat there and pouted, the harder my fingers crossed in the hopes that there would just be _something_ about me that neither of the Uchiha boys liked and that they avoided me like the plague.

"Yeah, Mikoto-San said something like that. Now, Hanami," my eyes had been pointed away from them and to the wall as I wallowed in self-pity. I took a sip of my tea. I swallowed, and tried to picture the hot liquid as a river, washing away all of the trepidation that was clouding my mind. It didn't work. "I already said that we would be there tomorrow. It would be very rude to cancel now." Ah, so it was sooner rather than later. I should've figured as much.

Suddenly, I felt tired, even though I had been awake for only about an hour and a half. I couldn't say no to her; Rin tried _so_ hard, so much so it made me wonder if I was really worth the effort. They were both looking at me expectantly. I knew that if I told her that I didn't want to go that she would understand, albeit be disappointed by it. But she'd get over it, because she wouldn't want me to feel guilty. She wouldn't need to try, though. I could feel guilty all on my own. I tucked a strand of annoyingly long hair behind my ear, and faked a smile. I had mastered the art a long time ago, so hopefully she wouldn't see through it.

"You're right, sis. I'll go." And like a stamp on an envelope, I sealed my fate. I was going to meet Itachi Uchiha, and I was probably going to regret it.

•

I didn't sleep well that night. Rin snored soundly next to me, her chest rising and falling with each steady breath. I closed my eyes, a sigh escaping through my nostrils. We had bathed and gotten to bed at around nine, and it was now three in the morning. I finally ended up falling asleep and staying that way at six, and then was woken up by Rin at one thirty in the afternoon. She was excited, and a bit nervous. She was always easy to read like that. Her hair was tucked behind her ears, the skirt of her dress swaying as she walked around our small bedroom. It had been our mother's, and she cherished it. It was hardly ever worn. If _that_ was what she was wearing, I knew she was trying to make a good impression.

"Up, up, Hanami-chan!" She pulled a yellow sundress from our top drawer and tossed it at me, the thin fabric hitting me in my face. She called an apology over her shoulder as she walked from our shared bedroom to the kitchen, returning with a plate of fresh onigri filled with fried prawns- again, one of my favorites, and again, not something she let me consume frequently. Usually, we just went with stuffing them with mackerel.

"Eat up! I spoke to Mikoto-sama a few minutes before you woke up, and decided to meet at two. Aren't you excited?" Not as much as you, dear sister. I chewed my food thoughtfully. I was the type of person that planned out social situations in my head before they happened. They never end up going the way that I think they will, so I stopped after a minute. It was awkward, especially since I couldn't imagine Itachi as anything other than a mournful young man in an Akatsuki cloak. Just picture it; Itachi Uchiha's grown ass sitting at a kiddy table sipping tea with a two year old. I couldn't help it. I laughed out loud, causing Rin to look at me over her shoulder, her face splitting into a wide smirk.

"What's that giggle about?" Rin was in the middle of brushing her hair, the bob length she usually kept it in now grown almost past her shoulders. She'd need to get it cut soon. She tried to do it herself last time, but quickly discovered that hairdressing was _not_ one of her talents.

"Nothing, just thought of something silly." I was grateful she didn't push it, because I wouldn't have known how to answer. I wasn't a very good liar. I gulped down the last bite of my onigri and sat the plate on the floor next to the futon. I pulled my pajamas over my head and quickly dressed, the delicate fabric feeling nice against my skin. It was one of the ones Kushina had picked out for me, but I had yet to wear it. It was a pale yellow color, my favorite, with a sash tied around the middle. It was probably the prettiest thing that I owned. I ran my hands over the cottony fabric. It still smelt like Kushina.

"Well, I like it when you laugh. You don't do it enough." She wasn't wrong, so I didn't retort. She sat behind me with a hair brush and a ribbon in her hand, making quick work of the pigtails she had tied last night. I pulled my legs to my chest and rested my chin on my knees. I splayed my hands out in front of me, scrutinizing the small scraps that littered my knuckles and the calluses forming on my fingertips. I frowned. I didn't like looking at my hands. It reminded me how small I was.

"It feels like you're getting me ready for an actual date, y'know." Really, the fancy dresses and hair ribbons didn't feel necessary. I didn't have to look at her to know she was holding back a giggle. She brushed my hair through before gathering the sides of it in her hands, pulling the sections together and securing them with a hair tie, the ribbon added just as a decoration.

"My first play date was with Kurenai." she began after a moment of mutual silence, her fingers nimbly tying the ribbon into a bow. "Momma spent two hours getting me ready. I don't know why, but she made me wear a kimono. I guess she thought we were going to drink tea and chat the entire time, but we ended up mud wrestling instead." I pictured it, and busted out into another bout of giggles. _My_ sister, the biggest neat freak I had ever known, mud wrestling? Who woulda thunk it.

"Momma was _so_ mad, I thought she'd never let me play with her again. Thankfully, she got over it." I tried to remember what our mother looked like angry, but couldn't quite get the visual of her face the way it should've been. I furrowed my brow. Was I really forgetting her already? It had only been eight months since I had last seen her. "She was my first friend. The next was Obito." she spoke with the sort of fondness that would've made the boy blush, had he been here.

"I know that making friends is hard for you, but Itachi-kun isn't like the other kids you've met. I think you're really going to like him." I picked at my nails. She was right. He wasn't like the kids at the orphanage; he was a future mass murderer and informant. What was with the Uchiha clan pumping out the doomed ones, anyway?

Rin spent another moment getting my hair to lay the way she wanted it to and stood. She extended her hand for me to take it, so I did. I was pulled over to the long mirror we had hung on the back of our bedroom door, the one I went out of my way not to look into. I had yet to see what I looked like in the entire time I had been here. I wasn't sure how it would feel, not having dark eyes, freckled skin and vibrant, short red hair looking back at me. Calling myself Hanami Nohara and being her were two very, very different things. So I closed my eyes, and didn't open them until Rin told me to.

"You look lovely, Hanami-chan. _Look_." The lids of my eyes pulled back slowly, the feeling of regret already pumping through my veins. My skin was incredibly tanned like Rin's was in the summer, and was something so foreign to me that it made my feet take a tentative step back. My face and eyes were rounded, and my eyes were lighter in color than my sister's, as well as my hair. It reached past my shoulders, a length I had never maintained it in before. My hand trailed up to my face in a morbid fascination. I felt like screaming, but held it in. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, my hands in tight balls at my sides.

" _Thanks_ , sis. Can we get going now?" She looked a bit startled, but nodded her head. I ended up running out of the bedroom, my feet not carrying me as fast as I wanted them to. I pulled my shoes on, but stayed seated in front of the door, unmoving. My hands reached up shakily and covered my face. I felt like crying, screaming and hiding myself in my room for the rest of my life. Avoiding my reflection had kept the reality of things at the back of my mind, for the most part. I've never felt like Hanami Nohara. But seeing her look back at me cemented the fact that whether I wanted to be or not, I was.

"Hanami-chan, are you OK?" Rin emerged from our room with a bag carrying our things. I took another deep breath and exhaled it slowly. No, I wasn't, but I wasn't going to let her know just how not OK I was. I felt her hand on my shoulder, her skin smooth and warm. "We don't have to go if you don't feel up to it." For a moment, I considered it. She wouldn't be mad, but I would be at myself. So I stood, despite how badly I wanted to jump back into bed and never leave the comfort of the thin blankets. She smiled reassuringly, and I tried to return it, but it would look forced no matter how hard I willed it to be genuine.

"No, I'm ok. Let's go."

We walked hand in hand, and neither of us sparked up a conversation. She hummed to herself like she always did when she was excited, and I wished that I could've inherited her optimism. The park was closer to the middle of the village where the Uchiha compound resided. We had to pass it to get to the market and Minato's apartment, so I saw it often. Or rather, ignored its existence. Just like with my appearance, I had a "If I don't look at it, it doesn't exist" mentality about it. A part of me was also scared that the two Uchiha that witnessed my mental breakdown would recognize me, as stupid as that was. Uchiha had other things to occupy their thoughts, like world domination and how cool they must look with the giant fucking clan symbols glued to their backs.

"Oh, there they are!" I hadn't even noticed we had made it to our destination. I felt my heart fall and a blush rise to my cheeks. They were sitting on a park bench in silence, Mikoto's hand enclosed over Itachi's. They had ditched the typical Uchiha garb for something more appropriate for the warmer weather, their outfits consisting of dark capri pants and sleeveless tops. Itachi looked over at us first. His hair was short and just as dark as his eyes, the beginnings of his characteristic bags barely noticeable. He eyed me curiously and tugged on his mother's pant leg, whose attention fell to Rin and me as we walked closer. Well, I was more so _dragged_ , but whatever.

"I'm glad you made it! We were thinking you might be late." Rin's cheeks reddened and she laughed, saying that I woke up a bit later than expected. I wrapped my arms around my sister's leg. It was hard keeping eye contact with Itachi, so I stopped trying. He had his hands tucked behind his back and stood straight as a board. I didn't know what he was thinking, or if I even wanted to.

"…and you must be Hanami-chan." Mikoto squatted down next to her son, her hands wrapping around his arms. "Itachi-kun, introduce yourself." Pink dusted his cheeks. I peeked at him from behind Rin's legs, and forced myself to maintain eye contact. By now, my cheeks were probably redder than Kushina's hair.

"Hello, I'm Itachi. It's nice to meet you." His voice was a lot softer than I had thought it would be. He lightly bowed his head, his eyes expectant. I realized it was my turn to introduce myself, but couldn't get the words out. Rin's hands came down on my shoulders and squeezed. I shoved my insecurities aside and let go of her skirt, taking a single step forward.

"… _hi_." aaaaand we're off to a terrible start. _Great_. "I'm Hanami." I didn't know what to do after that, so I bowed my head and tried not to vomit on his shoes. "It's, um… it's nice to meet you, too, Itachi." Well, that's a sentence I'd never thought I'd say in a million years. He smiled pleasantly, and I returned it halfheartedly. It probably looked pathetic.

"How about you two go play? Me and Rin will be sitting right here, if you need anything." My head snapped up at the sound of Mikoto's voice. I had completely forgotten that they were standing there. God, I'm an idiot.

My thoughts were brought back to Itachi when I felt his fingers enclose around mine. I wanted to pull away, but that innocent smile of his made me decide against it. Mikoto kissed the top of his head as he walked by. I kept my gaze pointed at the back of his head as we walked, and was a bit disgruntled when I noticed he was at least two inches taller than I am. I _hated_ being small.

He settled on a spot not too far away from Rin and his mother and let go of my hand. I bit my lip. What exactly do you say to Itachi Uchiha? What did he even like to talk about, or do in his free time? It was baffling.

"Would you like to spar?" Of _course_ he was the toddler that liked to throw kunai. To that, I really had no verbal response. I had never sparred. It wasn't like Rin didn't allow me to or anything. She actually encouraged it, for the most part. I had just never really had the inclination to. I guess you could say that I'm a lover, not a fighter. Or that I'm just kinda afraid of getting punched in the face.

"Um… I don't really know how. It's probably not a good idea anyway, 'cause, um…" I motioned to my sundress, and a look of recognition washed over him. I chewed on the inside of my cheek, at loss for words. A pregnant, awkward pause fell over us. I averted my eyes away from him and to my feet. This was heading down hill, and lightning fast. I snuck a quick glance up at him through my bangs, and was a little surprised that he looked just as unsure as I did. He really only had one other friend to refer back to, and they had probably known each other their entire lives. Things with Shisui more than likely came naturally to him. Interacting with someone completely new, and a girl, no less, was probably more nerve wracking for Itachi than I had realized

"…did I do something wrong?" I was stirred from my thoughts by the quiet sound of his voice. I couldn't really place the look he was wearing. "I can ask okaasan if we can leave early, if you would like." That made me feel pretty guilty. Shit, I didn't mean to make him feel like I didn't like him! I shook my head profusely and held up my hands.

"No, no, you didn't do anything wrong!" I felt my cheeks grow hotter when he took a cautious step back, startled by the volume of my voice. God, now I'm scaring him! I took a deep breath in hopes of calming myself down. I was just glad the park wasn't very crowded today, or else I'd really be panicking. "It's not your fault, Itachi-kun. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way." The honorific and bow was probably a bit much, but it was the only thing I could think of that might alleviate some of the tension that hung so heavily in the air. It didn't seem to work, because he gave me an odd look. Goddammit.

"You don't have to be so formal." My cheeks were burning so hot, it made me want to dunk my head in a bucket of ice water. And _hell_ , why did he speak so well? There was no way he was older than a year and a half, if even that. I had expected him to be abnormally smart, but not like this. Why was a toddler allowed to be so intimidating?

"Sorry…I'm not very good with people." We stared at each other again, the seconds ticking on in silence. He was kind of like Kakashi in the sense that I was constantly itching to know what they were thinking, but was afraid to really find out. This was probably the worst first impression I have ever made, this life or the other one. I was momentarily distracted from my never ending process of self-loathing when I felt a light tap between my brows. Did he just…?

"It's alright. I'm not very good with people, either." my mouth gaped open like a Magicarp mid splash. He was smiling at me like he had before, the expression soft and amiable. My breath hitched in my throat. I watched as his hand trailed down to the pocket on the side of his pant leg and retrieve a deck of Hanafuda, and offered them to me. "Do you want to play hachi-hachi?" For the first time that day, my smile was genuine. Nothing sounded better.

We played for well over two hours, totaling in three games, the forth currently underway. He royally spanked my ass for the most part, but I've never been much of a sore loser, so he was forgiven. Although, being outwitted by an _actual_ child was a blow to my ego. Mikoto and Rin had been absorbed in conversation the entire play date. About what, I didn't know. While we were playing, Itachi would ask me random questions about my likes and dislikes, and would supply his own. His favorite color was blue, he preferred colder weather and he hated steak. He didn't look shocked that I liked yellow, or that I wasn't fond of big crowds. We both loosened up a bit, and I even got a laugh out of him, regardless of how short it was. I'll even go as far to say that I didn't feel like leaving when it was time to.

"Are you two having fun?" It was Mikoto, who joined us on our spot in the grass. Itachi was biting his thumb nail and looking at the hand before him intently. Oh, I _so_ had him this time. He briefly glanced at her and nodded, then returned his attention to the game in front of him.

"Pass." I said, and his lips curled into a smirk. I guess smirking was something that Uchiha inherited like they did the Sharingan. Mikoto hummed to herself for a moment before Rin sat next to her. The sun that had been shining so intensely earlier was starting to dim, and I realized it was probably almost six o'clock. They watched us for a bit longer before Mikoto put her hand on Itachi's head.

"I'm glad you two are having fun, but your otousan just returned from his mission early, and he's requesting us to return home." Itachi's expression at first was a mixture of excitement and disdain, but was quickly masked by neutrality. I didn't remember much about Fugaku, but I knew he was a typical hard ass, as what seemed mandatory for any traditionalist clan leader. "Maybe next time we can have Rin and Hanami-chan over for supper, hm?" He looked from his mother then to me. I rolled it over in my mind, nodding my head after his brow started to crease.

"We'd love to, Mikoto-sama." They shared one of those motherly kind of looks, even though Rin was far from being my mother. In age, anyway. I helped Itachi collect the cards and shuffled them, tightly winding the rubber band around the thick stack before placing them in the palm of his hand. Rin looked smug, like she had won some kind of argument we had been having. She kind of had, I guess. I didn't spontaneously combust from an overload of social interaction, which may or may not be something I said would happen if I was forced to be friendly with children my age.

We parted ways after a series of drawn out goodbyes and promises of future play dates. I watched them walk in the other direction from over Rin's shoulder, the setting sun illuminating the streets in a muted hue of yellow. Itachi turned and looked back at me, and I gave a small wave. I let my face fall against Rin's skin.

I wasn't sure which reaction to today would have been more fitting; laughing hysterically or screaming until my lungs collapsed.

•

 **Ok, so a few things I wanna say first; if you actually are reading this first, then spoiler alert; Hanami meets Itachi this chapter. I won't say anything else about it, but that happens.**

 **Secondly, I would like to address that this particular timeline seems to always result in a friendship, frenemy or rivalry between the protagonist and Itachi. I totally get why some people are worn out by this, as I am, too. My goal is to create a complex relationship between him and Hanami, as he will pose as a prominent character later on and a pivotal role in who Hanami becomes as a person. Does that allude to if they will be paired off together? No idea. I've only planned up until chapter twenty, and only written up to chapter twelve. Only time will tell.**

 **That aside, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Unlike the last one, this has been one of my favorites that I have written so far, the next being chapter eleven. Obviously, that hasn't been posted yet, so I won't be saying anything of what might happen that far ahead. Although, I will say this; I'm a total ObiRin shipper. That is all.**

 **OH, and I got a pretty interesting anon review today asking about Hanami's training. That's coming up within the next few chapters. But, she/he also was asking about the timeline, so I thought I'd clear that up.**

 **Rin is eight years and three months older than Hanami; when Hanami turns two, Rin will be ten.**

 **At the start of the original Naruto series, Itachi is eighteen, making him about 8-9 years younger than Kakashi/Asuma/Obito/Rin/etc, so him and Hanami are the same age (she's four months older, actually; Itachi's birthday is June 6, Hanami's is February 1** **st** **).**

 **With the way that I've written things through the Kannabi Bridge mission, Hanami has just turned five, and Rin is 13. When Naruto is born, she will be five years and eight months old. I plan on making a full timeline after the chapter about the Kannabi Bridge is posted, but that'll probably be another week before I've edited things that far down the road. I also remember writing in one chapter that Rin is fourteen when she dies (or does she!?), so I'll need to go back and fix that so everything is cohesive.**


	8. Chapter Seven:

•

 **Chapter Seven: Wherein Rin sleeps in, Hanami goes**

 **on an adventure and someone gets jealous.**

•

 **"… A part of me was also scared that the two Uchiha that witnessed my mental breakdown would recognize me, as stupid as that was. Uchiha had other things to occupy their thoughts, like world domination and how cool they must look with the giant fucking clan symbols glued to their backs."**

 **Hanami**

You know, I had always kind of assumed that Rin and I had nothing in common. She took after our dad, I looked more like mom. She was a ray of sunshine on a stormy day, and I was probably the rain cloud that was dousing the earth with my never ending pessimism. But, I was noticing we did share a few similarities. One, we had the same smile and ears. Two, she was also an absolute _nightmare_ to wake up.

It was a little after ten in the morning, and we were due at the Uchiha compound in an hour. Rin valued punctuality, and when she had things to do, she was always in bed on time. But not last night. She had been hunched over a massive medical ninjutsu text book all evening and well into the early morning, not putting it down until the sun started to rise. For being a medic, she definitely had some unhealthy sleeping habits. If I told Obito or Kushina she was straining herself this hard, they'd throw a fit.

I stirred from my sleep and looked over at the clock that we kept on our dresser. Fifteen minutes past ten, and she was still out like a light. I poked her cheek, tickled under her armpit, and even slapped her a few times. A steady line a drool trickled from the corner of her mouth, her hair sticking in every conceivable direction. Also, we both had _wicked_ bed head. I poked and pinched her a few more times before giving up. I was convinced that there could've been an earthquake and she still wouldn't have woken.

I dressed myself and taped a series of notes all over our apartment, telling her that I left and to where. It occurred to me this probably wasn't the best idea as soon as I closed the door behind me. I hadn't ever been allowed to walk ten feet away from our apartment building without supervision, because well, I'm a baby. But I knew the streets well enough for my feet to know exactly where to take me, so I was off.

It was well into November, about three weeks since I had my fateful meeting with Itachi. He was a weird kid. He smiled a lot, but rarely ever laughed. From what I had observed, he really only did a few things to pass the time; play cards, train, read…and that's about it. But I liked that about him. He wasn't loud, could hold up a conversation that wasn't about boogers, dirt or other normal kid junk and was fairly easy to talk to. But I was approaching this friendship with slow, tentative steps. I still was in the process of separating the Itachi sixteen or so years from now from the Itachi that was still innocent, still pure. It still made my chest ache to look at him sometimes.

I passed a book store that only serviced customers of _legal age_ and dodged under two men carrying a couch into the front door of a worn down building. No one really paid me any attention as I darted around legs and through the streets. I wasn't dumb. I knew not to accept candy from strangers, not to follow someone back to their mother's basement and generally just to avoid stranger danger. Konoha was pretty good about keeping civilians safe from being murdered randomly, anyway. Kids especially. The future leaders of the village and all that. I got to the middle of the village in record time, but paid for it in the form of heavy panting and armpit sweat.

" _Hanami?"_ I froze. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was. Kakashi stood in his regular off-day attire, consisting of black slacks and a dark grey t-shirt. I turned around slowly, putting on the most innocent face I could muster in such short notice.

"Why, _hello_ , Kakashi. Lovely weather we're having." A shop close by had a clock hung to the front of the building. It was nearly eleven.

"What are you doing out here by yourself?" He had his hands on his hips, his voice harsh. Sometimes, I thought that maybe he liked me, but other times I wasn't so sure. This was one of those times.

"Just, um…heading over to the Uchiha compound is all." I wilted under his strong gaze. He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily.

"It's dangerous out here by yourself, Hanami. Where's Rin?" He approached me, but kept a foot or less of distance between us. For a ten year old, he sure was imposing.

"She spent all night studying new jutsu and stuff. I didn't want to wake her up." He didn't look very impressed. I sighed, glancing back at the clock. Ten minutes 'till eleven. _Great_. "I left her a note telling her where I was going."

"That's not the point, Hanami. Come on, I'm taking you home." He reached for my hand, but I jerked it away. We had only been talking for five minutes, but he already looked _done_.

"No! I don't want to wake her. If you're that worried about me or whatever, just walk me to the compound." I tried to stand my ground, my hands in fists at my sides and my feet dug into the dirt. Kakashi was always underwhelmed, but seemed even more so now. He really had no patience. I crossed my arms over my puffed up chest. I had already skipped out on Itachi last time, and promised I'd be there today. He'd seemed pretty adamant that I showed, so I wasn't about to go home. Kakashi sighed, and in my opinion, a little more dramatically that what was needed.

"…fine, _fine_. Just come on." He grabbed my hand in a way that was anything but gentle. The Uchiha district was only about five minutes away, so we arrived at the gates quickly. He paused briefly, but shoved aside any reservations he might've had and walked through the threshold. I still hadn't made up my mind about what I felt when I came here. On one hand, I enjoyed it because it's calm and quiet. On the other hand, everyone and everything was so bland, the only pops of color coming from the Uchiha crests that decorated any available surface.

It made you think, _"Wow. I wonder if they ever get lock jaw from sucking their own dicks so much."_ Or at least, I did.

"Which way?"

"Just keep going straight." It made sense that the clan head's house was not only the biggest, but smack dab in the center of things. I had been there five times, and hadn't seen Fugaku once. Appearently, he was quite the busy man.

By the time we reached the front entrance, Kakashi had let go of my hand. My fingers felt sore. I guess I hadn't realized just how strong his grip was. He motioned his hand halfheartedly for me to go to the door. I didn't want to, but I knew by the impatient tapping of his foot that it wasn't going to be done unless I did it. I gently rasped my knuckles against the wooden surface, sneaking a quick glance at Kakashi from over my shoulder. It was kinda a shock he hadn't already poofed away.

I had expected Mikoto to answer my infrequent knocking, but she didn't. Instead, it was a boy far taller than me with unruly hair, his large eyes wide and analytical. The breath completely left my lungs. I had seen him before somewhere…oh my _god_. He was the kid from the market! I couldn't really form words, and the seconds ticked on in an agonizingly slow pace. He shifted his weight from one foot to the next, his lips turned upwards in a sort of sneer.

"Who are _you_?" That's a good question. I could ask you the same thing.

"…Shisui? Is that Hanami?" Itachi's voice came distantly from the other room. I heard the sound of his small feet as they calmly padded over to the door where the boy, who was Shisui _fucking_ Uchiha, and I stood frozen in place. His smile was as friendly as ever, but the same couldn't be said of the taller boy that stood in front of me. Unlike Itachi, the kid was incredibly easy to read. He looked me over like I was the aftermath of a science experiment, apparently forgetting that personal space was something of value.

"You made it just in time. Hanami-chan, this is Shisui. Shisui, this is Hanami." I tried to grin in an inviting manner, even adding in an awkward little wave. Hell, why wasn't he saying anything?

" _Oh_. Hey." Wow. Great introduction, Shisui. I don't know what I expected from him. I guess I just thought he'd be a bubbly, welcoming sort of kid. Itachi elbowed him in his side. His shoulders slacked, and he ran his hand through his inky mop of hair. His cheeks were red, and I didn't know if it was from the way Itachi was looking at him or because he didn't know what to really say.

"Hi, Hanami. It's nice to meet you." But honey, it was _so_ obvious that you don't feel that way. We locked eyes, both of our brows furrowed. At least he didn't seem to remember me.

"Come in, Hanami. Where's Rin-san?" I was thankful that Itachi's intervention resolved the awkward, stiff air that hung between us. I twisted around to see if Kakashi was still there, but like I had expected, he wasn't. "Did you come here by yourself?" Suddenly, he looked worried. I can take care of myself, _thank you very much_.

"No. My sister's teammate walked me here." He looked more at ease at that. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Shisui staring at me, his cheeks still rosy. He realized I had noticed him and averted his eyes to the ground. Itachi led us to the other room, and we sat down on the play mat that was in the middle of the floor. They had been in the process of a game of what looked like Hana Awase before I had interrupted, and Shisui seemed kind of bitter about it.

"Do you want to play?" I had begun to say 'yes', but paused. I could already tell Shisui did _not_ want me here, for whatever reason. I swallowed down the knot of anxiety that was starting to rise in my throat. The redness in Shisui's cheeks had faded, his hands now in fists and resting on his knees.

"Itachi-kun? Is that Hanami-chan?" The breath I had been holding exhaled from my lungs at the sound of Mikoto's voice. She came into the room with a smile on her face like she normally did, her hand quickly finding its way to the top of my head. She brushed over my light brown curls gently, the warmth that radiated from her bringing easiness to the space around us.

"Where's Rin-chan?" Itachi filled her in for me. Her lips formed an 'o', and she moved her other hand to rest on Shisui's shoulder. He beamed at her, his grin revealing the gap that his missing front teeth had left. He was cute, in a boyish sort of way.

"Would you three like some snacks?" I hadn't eaten before I left, so I wagged my head eagerly. I saw Itachi's eyes take on a surprisingly mischievous light, and he stood. _God_ , why couldn't I tell what he was thinking?

"Do you need help in the kitchen, okaasan?" She gave him a knowing look. Wait… he just wanted to get Shisui and I alone. Now that I think about it, maybe that's why he was so insistent that I came today. He just wanted me to meet his best friend, which I didn't necessarily have a problem with- but obviously, the best friend in question _did_.

"Why, _yes_ , Itachi-kun. I would _greatly_ appreciate that." His lips curled into a coy smile. Oh, that little _shit_. My muscles stiffened as the door was slid shut behind Itachi and Mikoto, the only sound in the room being our breathing. He didn't make the effort to start a conversation, so neither did I. My palms were sweaty, and my nails were leaving indentions on the skin of my knees. Shisui had one leg drawn to his chest and the other stretched out in front of him, his pinkie finger picking earwax from his ear and flicking it at the wall. He was going to great efforts to not look at me.

"You don't like me very much, do you?" The sudden question seemed to take him off guard, his eyes widening and the blush rose to his cheeks again. Kids were finicky. I had spent my entire kindergarten year going back and forth with my "best friend", who I finally settled on being a massive dick that I would no longer associate with. Maybe he was threatened, because I was now taking up some of the time Itachi would normally spend with him… _dammit_. That was exactly what I had tried _not_ to do. He jerked his head away from me and crossed his arms over his chest. I was quickly coming to the conclusion that there was no winning this kid over, and I was more upset by that thought than I was really comfortable with admitting.

"We made onigri and green tea! Eat up!" Said Mikoto, as her son slid the door open for her so she could carry the tray inside. They returned to the room to be greeted by more tension than what they had left it in. He and Mikoto shared a perplexed look as she sat the tray down on the mat next to us. Itachi took his earlier spot across from us. He looked from Shisui and then to me, the frown never leaving his lips.

"Itachi, can we go spar? I'm bored!" That caused the shorter boy to eye me worriedly. "She can come, if she wants." I knew that even if he _didn't_ hate my guts, that training with them was probably the worst idea in the Universe. They were Uchiha, and Uchiha were usually the no-holds-bar type that could kick your ass a hundred different ways. Even if they were just kids, I was sure that I'd be on the ground and in tremendous pain before I could even say " _Fuck_ ".

"Hanami-chan doesn't know any taijutsu or ninjutsu, Shisui. It would rude to exclude her." And if Shisui hadn't possessed distaste for me in every fiber of his physically and spiritual being, he sure did now. They were glaring at each other in a way that I knew Itachi was either going to scold him profusely or slap him, and neither of those things are something I wanted to happen. _Goddammit._ Would it even be possible for me to be friends with Itachi if Shisui continued to act this way whenever I was around? I didn't want to be the wedge that put distance between them.

"No, Itachi, it's ok! I'll just watch you two!" I had scampered into an unsteady standing position and filled the space separating them. Shisui gazed at me curiously, almost like he had wanted to say 'thank you', but that would probably never reach my ears. Shisui bolted from his place on the tatami mat and threw his body over the ledge that led to the backyard. It was totally unnecessary, as there were steps that led to his destination that Itachi had enough sense to take. I sat down on them and watched as Shisui began a series of exaggerated warm-ups, Itachi having not yet joined him. He placed his hand on my head, so I peered up at him through the length of my bangs. They needed a trim, and badly.

"I'm sorry for the way he's acted, Hanami. He just needs to get used to you." I shrugged, causing him to sigh. Itachi eventually left me and walked over to his best friend, who wasted no time at all in engaging him in a series of blows. Watching him with Itachi and without me in the equation was like looking at an entirely different person. He reminded me a lot of Obito; limitless giggles, smiles and playful taunts. Not once did he scowl, or did his cheeks flush with irritation. He was carefree, and happy. Who was I to think I had a place in that? Or, if I ever would?

I spent the rest of the day trying to tell myself that it didn't bother me, but my insecurities lasted long after the sun had set and all throughout dinner. His demeanor from before returned as soon as he had to sit next to me again, and stayed that way up until I shut the front door of the Uchiha manor behind me. Shisui Uchiha hated me, that much was sure. But how would I ever be able to fix it? Maybe I couldn't.

•

 _ **God**_ **, Shisui is hard as balls to write. I guess it's to be expected, as we virtually know nothing about who was before he died. If they don't include at least** _ **one**_ **more Shisui/Itachi filler arc before the anime ends, I will be a** _ **very**_ **sad panda. Anyway, please review! What did you like, not so much, any predictions for future chapters are all welcome.**


	9. Chapter Eight:

**Yo, dawg. Make sure you read the author's note at the bottom, k thanks.**

 **Chapter Eight: Wherein Rin leaves a good first**

 **impression, Gai makes a grand entrance and**

 **Kakashi and Obito bond (not really.)**

•

 **"…Konoha was pretty good about keeping civilians safe from being murdered randomly, anyway."**

•

 **Hanami**

It had finally started to cool down, if not belatedly and out of nowhere. We tried lining our windows with plastic wrap, shoving towels down around the cracks of our door and bought enough sweaters to warm a small village, but that wasn't even enough to keep the cold from chilling us to our bones. Rin had enough and invested in a space heater after we both caught a cold consisting of stuffy noses, sore throats and projectile vomiting, and the downstairs equivalent of that. I had a weak immune system, apparently, and it was imperative I not remain sick, or become so again, as said by both Rin and Kushina in impressive degrees of worry and panic. It was whatever. Kushina knew how to make a mean chicken soup, so I wasn't too down and out about it.

We recovered with a new found resentment for our landlord and his inability to feel pity for his tenants, and an appreciation for herbal tea and scented tissues. Christmas had come and gone, but with me stayed a longing for my grandmother's fruit cake and overcompensation in the form of decoratively wrapped presents that I probably didn't need or deserve, but received, anyway.

I struggled to put one foot in front of the other as we traveled down the street huddled in winter coats, heading straight for the hospital. Rin was taking up shifts on her days off, as more and more shinobi were piling up in the hospital beds. People were saying that they couldn't see an end in sight, and I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from bitterly adding, _"I can see the end. It's hidden somewhere in my sister's chest cavity."_ I had to remind myself that she was only ten, now. We had time.

"…gosh, it's _really_ packed in here." That was a bit of an understatement. We arrived at the hospital to be greeted by scurrying medics, a countless number of battle worn shinobi and the artificial scent of antiseptic in the air. Rin pulled me up and into her arms so I wouldn't get lost in the clutter, and meandered her way to the front desk. Emi, the hospital receptionist, had bags so dark and heavy weighing down her eyes it made you wonder when the last time her head and pillow had a proper introduction was. Her auburn hair was in a bun so messy it was far past the mark of being intentional, and some of her shirt buttons were slid into the wrong holes. She was probably on the brink of death, if we're being honest here.

"Oh, hey Rin-chan, Hanami-chan." Her voice sounded distant, almost like she was speaking to us from behind a glass door. Rin sighed, the mother hen in her showing through as she reached forward and brushed a stray bit of hair out of Emi's face. The smile that followed lacked enthusiasm, and never reached her hollow eyes. "Sorry if I look like garbage. I'm too dead on the inside to really care, at this point." You know things are bad when people start sounding like college students.

"Emi-san, when was the last time you slept? Or ate, for that matter?" She tried to appear sheepish, but it ended up as just being a grimace. She dodged the question and instead picked up a clipboard, pulling the top page up with a frown.

"You're not on the schedule for today, Rin-chan. You should be at home resting." That was a tad hypocritical, and Rin said as much. Emi caved, placing her face in her hands. A loud, agonized sound followed. "We lost a pretty big battle on the edge of Kusa two days ago. That's where all these ninja are coming from. We win a few and lose a few, over and over again…" If it was this bad now, how much worse could they get? Oh, wait. I knew the answer to that.

"Emi, how about I take over for a bit? You can go to the break room and get some rest. Me and Hanami-chan can man the fort!" She flashed a bright smile, but the disheveled girl could only manage to bite out a rueful laugh and half of a grin.

"Well, if you're here, you might as well help out the other medics with healing the wounded. I'm warning you, though; got quite a few with missing limbs back there." Rin winced, but nodded complicatedly. Emi looked out the window and to the falling snow, her blue eyes dulled into a muddy grey. "Things should be lightening up, though. Tsunade-hime and Shizune-chan will be returning from their travels tomorrow morning." That seemed to lighten the mood a bit.

"Really? Wow! It feels like they've been gone forever!" She shifted me from her hip to the receptionist counter and removed her wool coat and cardigan. Really, it wasn't even snowing. It was more of a flurry than the storm they were treating it as, but I guess it was to be expected. From what I had gathered, snow was a rare occurrence, even in the dead of winter. "How long will they be in for?"

"Don't know, but it shouldn't be too long. Tsunade is going to be mentoring the younger medics while she's in, though. Some of the injuries are getting so severe, we don't know how to treat them." Another wince. Rin had come home one night last week in tears, due to having lost three patients that had been placed under her care. One's rib cage had been crushed into oblivion, and it was truly a testament to human perseverance that he lasted long enough to be transported back to Konoha for emergency surgery. Another had three out of four limbs blown off, the other died from a concussion, the least traumatizing of the lot. Normally, she wouldn't have been put in charge of injuries so drastic, but they were low on resources. How she even was able to get up and come here was truly a mystery, and I admired her for it.

"If the circumstances weren't so… _grim_ , I'd be more excited." With that, I was sat in the space behind the receptionist counter while Rin got down to business. Kushina and Minato had both been taking warfare related missions, so I was minus a nanny and they were minus a sensei. Missions above a d-rank were put on hold for a lot of genin teams, mainly because the jōnin of the village were fighting a war that wasn't even close to its climax. Rin had been hauling me around everywhere she went, including training and her frequent hospital visits. Kushina was due back in a week, Minato following soon after. No genin were being placed on any missions outside of the village, so at least Rin would be close by. I was getting more and more paranoid about her safety as the months dragged on. I was probably going to have wrinkles by the time I'm four.

"How late will you be there for, Rin-chan?" It was the next day, and the hype was that Tsuande and Shizune had arrived at the gates early that morning. I was being entrusted in the care of Kakashi and Obito, the former now deemed trustworthy due to him not allowing me to walk all the way to the Uchiha compound alone, and of _course_ telling Rin on me. She was none too happy, and I ended up being put on an Uchiha ban for two weeks. In that time, Shisui grew an odd fascination for me and according to Itachi, didn't stop asking about when I'd be coming over again. Still wasn't sure if it was the start of a beautiful friendship, but whatever.

"I'm not sure. Make sure you guys keep an eye on her, ok? And don't let her stay outside for too long. Oh, and if she starts running a fever again, her antibiotics are in the cabinet, ok?" We were outside the hospital seeing Rin off, who had made sure that all three of us were covered head to toe in some kind of insulated clothing. Kakashi busted out his old scarf, and Obito was clad in a turtle neck and ear muffs. Really, I didn't see the point. The light dusting of snow had already started to melt, and the cloud of fog my breath made when exhaled was hardly anything that should be of concern. It was just in her nature to be a worry wart, and I guess there was no changing that.

"We'll be fine, Rin-chan! Don't worry!" She eyed us for a second before placing a kiss on my forehead and Obito's, pausing in front of Kakashi before settling on a small nod instead. Obito was still sputtering and flushing long after Rin walked through the hospital's double doors, much to the annoyance of a certain silver haired chūnin. I was fairly shocked he even agreed to watch after me, considering it involved being near Obito when it wasn't absolutely necessary. Rin must really be a master of persuasion.

We had breakfast at a cafe, and remained quiet the entire time until Obito and Kakashi argued over who would fit the bill. Well, it was more like Obito just repeatedly calling Kakashi a bastard and saying things like, "I've got the money, let me pay, asshole!" while Kakashi just gave him a blank stare. We left after an hour and a half, and were going nowhere in particular. I was so bored that I'd happily trade places with my twelve year old self sitting through a nature documentary in science class.

"Hey, Hanami-chan, has Rin been teaching you about chakra yet?" We had been walking in a tangibly awkward silence when Obito had decided to break it, and I was thankful that he had. But the question he asked gave me pause. No actually, she had not, and the more I rolled it over in my mind, it was confusing that she hadn't even brought it up. I wasn't upset or anything, because let's be honest, why in the fuck would I want to be a ninja? I had other things to worry about, like the mortality rate of my loved ones. I didn't need to be bothered with getting mauled by Tora the hell cat or tree walking.

"No, she hasn't." Kakashi snorted, Obito glared at him, you know the drill. I wrapped my arms tighter around Obito's neck as a particularly nasty gust of wind ruffled my hair and heavy coat. Ok, maybe all these layers of clothing _were_ necessary. "Why?"

"Well, I was thinking that today maybe I could teach you a few tricks!" Again, Kakashi snorted, and again, Obito glared right back. "What, you don't think I can teach her anything? God, you're _such_ a bastard!" I wonder if he knew how ironic it was calling Kakashi a bastard, and if that would deter him from doing so. Probably not.

"Well, you're not wrong. You can't teach her anything, but that's not just because you're a ninja severely lacking in skill," he took a seat on a park bench with his hands still shoved in his pockets. I could practically feel Obito's blood boiling, and I was sure now that the main reason Kakashi had agreed to come was to antagonize him. Cheeky fuck. "You won't be able to teach her anything, because she can't mold chakra."

Wait, _what_?

"What do you mean, she can't mold chakra? How the hell do you know?" Obito would be missing a few teeth if Rin had heard him curse in my presence so much, but that wasn't what was important right now. Really, how the hell _did_ he know I couldn't mold chakra? If he knew, then Rin did, too. And that meant she was keeping things from me, even if I was the last person that should be complaining about people keeping secrets from them. Then again, telling everyone I was a nineteen year old trapped in a toddler's body probably held more weight than whether or not I could do cool ninja tricks.

"You're aware that you were born prematurely, right?" Kakashi's eyes were on me now, scrutinizing me in a way that made me squirm, but I nodded despite the uneasiness churning in my gut. I nudged Obito's side with my foot, and he sat me down. I felt like I was getting ready to have a bomb of a lifetime dropped onto my lap, and standing just felt more fitting.

"Good. Then let me explain this to you; your circulatory system and chakra system are very similar in nature, and as such begin to develop around the same time. However, your chakra pathways and tenketsu take much longer to fully develop, and need to be exposed to the chakra of the mother the full term of gestation to ensure a strong, healthy chakra system in the child. You, however, were born several weeks early, meaning your chakra system did not have the time that it needed to grow with the help of your mother's chakra. In conclusion, the growth of your chakra system was stunted dramatically. You may never be able to mold chakra, even with extensive training and meditating." Obito's jaw fell slack and eyes grew blank, like he didn't quite grasp what was just said. Kakashi's eyes rolled. "Hopefully, you understand, unlike Obito." Cue said genin sputtering and screaming, _"Fight me, you bastard!"_

"Huh." I joined Kakashi on the bench and folded my hands on my lap. That actually kind of made sense to me. But what I didn't understand was the urge I now had to learn to mold chakra, no matter how long it took. I had always been one for a challenge, anyway. Did that mean I suddenly wanted to be a ninja? _Hell nope_. Did that mean I wasn't a bit ticked that Rin didn't mention something so huge sooner? Also no. I had a right to know these things, and she should be the one telling me, not her rude teammate.

"Don't listen to him, Hanami-chan! I'm sure you'll be able to mold chakra someday!" Obito bent in front of me and clasped my hands in his larger ones, but it wasn't as encouraging as it intended to be. In an odd way, I wasn't very surprised. Things start to lose their shock value after you've been reborn into a fictional universe filled with trained assassins and where physics sometimes aren't mandatory. My brow furrowed. Maybe that was why I was in so much pain the first few days of this life. Was it my chakra system trying to adjust to suddenly being ripped away from my mother's chakra? I'd have to ask Rin, when I wasn't irked with her.

"She could specialize in taijutsu, but she won't be much of a ninja." Well, I think we all know who _that_ jab was directed at. I knew that deep down, he didn't actually believe that Gai was a bad ninja, but it would be years before he'd ever readily admit to it. I rolled my thumbs around each other, staring intently at them. He was right, in a way. Even _if_ I decided to become a ninja, I doubt I'd make a good one. There's a certain level of confidence that goes hand in hand with being a ninja, and that is something I lacked, and greatly.

"Hey, Gai specializes in taijutsu, and he's a pretty good ninja." If Kakashi didn't quit it with the snorting, someone was bound to mistake him for a pig. I got lost in my thoughts from there on, because bickering tween boys were only entertaining for so long before it got exhausting to listen to. Kakashi busied himself blocking blow after blow being dished out from Obito, and neither of them seemed to recall the fact that they were supposed to be watching after their teammate's little sister. Kakashi moved in front of me for a split second, dodging a kick that nearly landed on my face. Really, they needed to be aware of their surroundings, lest they end up accidentally punching my face in.

 _"KAKASHIIII!"_ Out of what seemed like nowhere, a green blob came hurdling towards us with its leg aimed in a kick. Kakashi swiftly moved out of the way, having enough thought to pull Obito with him, but not enough thought to remember that I was right _fucking_ behind him. I felt the impact before I could really register that I had just been kicked in the face by Maito Gai, but not before I heard the shouting come from the kick's intended target and the bone head that target had been kicking the ass of. The park bench went falling back with my limp body, my hands darting up to clutch my forehead. Arms wrapped around me, shaking me urgently while someone was screaming in the background. My brain was throbbing, and I was certain that this was going to leave _the_ gnarliest bruise that the world has ever seen. God, wouldn't it have been easy to move me out of the way, too? Did Kakashi want me to suffer a brain injury?

" _Hanami_! Hanami-chan, can you hear me!?" _Yes_ , Obito. Getting kicked in the head isn't going to cause me to fall deaf. None of this was said though, as it was becoming harder and harder to keep my eyes from shutting and for my mouth to form words. I groaned. Honestly, I was lucky that blow didn't knock my head clean off my shoulders. Damn, that kid can _kick_.

"What were you _thinking_ , Gai?" His response was "something something, eternal rival something", or something similar. I'm not really sure; it was then that I promptly blacked out, my last sight being Obito's panicked expression. Oh, they were in _troublllle_.

•

 **Obito**

"What were you _thinking_ , Gai?" Kakashi had Gai by his shoulders, and I guess trying to shake some sense into him. He sure did need it. Oh, fuck. This was _bad_. This was _terrible_. This was the worst possible outcome of anything, ever. Rin-chan was going to be so pissed! I slapped Hanami-chan's cheeks after her eyes closed and they didn't open again, and it was right then that I really, really started to panic. What if she had a concussion? Skull fracture? Whatever it was, this was bad! Really, _really_ bad!

"I-I was just trying to engage my eternal rival in a friendly spar! You moved out of the way so swiftly, and I didn't see her behind you!" Gai was pretty much in tears, and I was already there. A nasty, purple and yellow bruise was already starting to appear on her forehead, and it was faintly in the shape of Gai's shoe. It was also starting to swell. It kinda looked like a big, foot shaped nipple, actually…no! _Focus_ , Obito!

"Do you realize how badly she could be injured?" He dropped Gai and marched over to me, his fingers going straight for the pulse point on her neck. I tried to wipe away my tears as subtly as possible, but he noticed, anyway.

"Obito, stop crying. Her pulse is strong, but we need to find a medic." Problem was, was that all of the medic nin in the village were stuffed into the hospital, treating injuries that could very easily end in death. Including Rin-chan, who would strangle all three of us to death if she found out we almost just murdered her little sister. He looked like he knew that, too, because he didn't make a move to get up.

"We need to get her to the hospital right away!" I had been so absorbed in making sure Hanami wasn't dead that I kinda forgot Gai was standing there. The sound of his voice on any normal day made me want to punch a wall, but today it made me want to inflict bodily harm. On him, specifically.

"What the hell were you thinking, dumbass?" Now I was shaking him, and punching him. It was weird, too, because he was thanking me for it. _God_ , who _thanks_ someone for punching them? No wonder Kakashi hates this guy! Shit, now I'm agreeing with _Kakashi_. This is officially the worst day of my life, hands down.

"You two, cut it out." His voice was sharper than a kunai, and I knew now was not the time for talking back, so I did what he told me to. Even if it hurt me a little. "We need to get her medical attention, now." But that meant bringing her to the hospital, where her over protective sister currently was, and that was a bad idea. But there weren't any other options, so I guess we just had to welcome death with open arms.

Fuck.

"I will come with you! I will accept punishment from Rin-san myself!" I punched him again, because I really couldn't help myself. He knew he was going to get beaten to death, right? I know he's the nobel type, but this is ridiculous. Kakashi-teme had Hanami in his arms, with her head propped up against his shoulder. She looked pale, which she never did. Oh, crap. This was so, _so_ bad.

"No, you won't. We're going to get her there without Rin noticing." if Kakashi kept making sense, maybe I wouldn't hate him as much. "And you two are staying here. If I'm going to do this successfully, you need to stay out of my way." _aaaaand_ I hate him again.

"No, I'm not leaving her! I'm coming with you if you like it or not!" He was really making my blood boil, now. He must've not been in the mood for another argument, because he made that pig noise again and started sprinting, wrapping his scarf around Hanami's head in the process. I pumped chakra into my legs and tried to catch up to him, but the bastard was going way too fast. Even Gai matched his pace before I did. God, what a _great_ day this was turning out to be.

We scaled building after building until we made it to the roof of the hospital, and I was out of breath. They weren't, of course. Fucking bastards. Kakashi handed Hanami to me and ducked into a window, and I followed, but not before nearly tripping and falling on my ass. He snatched her out of my arms as soon as I was inside, shooting me a dirty look. One minute, he treats Hanami like she's the biggest nuisance in the world. Next, he's fretting over her wellbeing. This guy, I swear.

We were in one of the break areas; the one Rin usually sat in. It was completely empty, even a little eerie, in a way. From the room over, someone screamed so loud I thought maybe their lungs might collapse. Gai and I jumped, but Mr. Calm and Collected just rolled his eyes like it was an embarrassment to even be seen with us, even if we were the only ones in the room. We tip toed down the hallway, and I snuck glances at Hanami-chan every few seconds. Her face was scrunched up like she was having the worst nightmare of her life. My heart started to crumble. If anything happened to Hanami, Rin would absolutely shatter.

"Guys? What are you doing here?" We froze, even Kakashi. Rin's voice was small and tired, like she hadn't slept in a week. Kakashi's shoulders tensed and he narrowed his eyes at me and Gai when he turned around, Hanami's small body held tightly in his arms. Rin's mouth fell open, but anger quickly replaced the shock.

"What happened?" Her fists were balled, like she was ready to knock our lights out, and she was probably going to.

Perfect. Fucking _great_.

•

 **Rin**

There weren't enough words in my vocabulary that could accurately describe Tsunade Senju. Plastered was a good one, firstly. Flat chested was the farthest thing from, and stunningly gorgeous definitely felt appropriate. Talented beyond comprehension also stuck.

She came to the hospital in a deceptively good mood, and we quickly discovered it was because she had downed three bottles of sake as soon as she arrived at the village. Apparently, it was her stress reliever of choice. Another thing about her was that she could probably crush a man's skull with her breasts, and if I hadn't been in the process of fusing the skin together on the nub of someone's arm when I thought of it, I would've laughed out loud. You want to know the best part, though? She and Shizune finished off every last one of the remaining patients in less than two hours. A full day's work for us was barely even two hours for them.

"You're Rin Nohara, right?" we had been sitting in silence for nearly a half hour, and the sudden intrusion of her raspy voice made me jump and nearly spill my miso soup. She was leaning back in the flimsy plastic chair that the hospital supplied for the break rooms, with her legs crossed and her elbow planted on the table. She was working on another bottle of sake, and I couldn't really blame her. Some of the patients we had to tend to today were _rough_.

"Y-yes, ma'am." She smirked, and I stared at my soup like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Intimidating beyond normal levels also came to mind when you encountered her. To be honest, I kind of had a bit of a girl crush on her. Not in the, "Wow, please sit on my face" kind of way, but in the "Wow, just let me brush your hair and shower you in compliments" kind of way.

"You were in Shizune-chan's academy class." It was a statement rather than a question. Speaking of Shizune, she was asleep on the floor, exhausted from both the trip here and the overuse of her chakra. Poor thing.

"She's spoken highly of you. Says you're a great medic." No matter how hard I willed myself not to, I blushed. Shizune had been the best medic in our year, and I looked up to her a lot. Then, having Tsunade-sama knowing who I was? God, I'll probably end up fainting.

"That's kind of her. Coming from Shizune, that's really flattering. She's one of the best medics I know." Her smirk turned into a wide, toothy grin.

"Well, _duh_. I trained her myself." she took another long swig of sake. "But y'know, you're nothing to sneeze at, either. I saw some of the work you've done, and it's pretty impressive." I beamed at the praise, ducking my head in an informal bow. Being praised by Tsunade was like having the most mind blowing orgasm your brain can possibly imagine. Or, what I'd like to think it would be like.

The moment was cut short, however, at the sound of what I guess was someone falling could be heard a few rooms down from where we were sitting. It was loud, too, and was followed by a string of curses that reminded me faintly of something Obito would say.

… _wait_. Obito? Why would he be sneaking into the hospital?

"Hm. Ya hear that? Sounds like someone just climbed through a window. And fell." She looked amused, laughing into the brim of her sake bottle as she took another drink. " _Amateurs_."

I stood from the table and stepped cautiously over to the door, and peeked around the corner. Three people emerged from the break room, one of them stumbling and trying not to be too obvious. I narrowed my eyes. My first thought, however unlikely, was that they were spies from Iwa, but that possibility was quickly out. No decent ninja worth his salt would make that much commotion when infiltrating enemy territory. I ducked around the door and was careful not to make a sound as I made my way down the hallway. They were heading in the direction of the front desk, from what I could tell. I heard Tsunade-sama call after me, but ignored her. The quietest of the three ninja saw me coming before the other two, and my heart dropped into the pit of my stomach once I could clearly identify who the intruders were.

" _Guys_? What are you doing here?" They was visibly tense, like they had been caught trying to steal cookies from the cookie jar. Was one of them hurt? If that was the case, I didn't think they'd go out of their way to sneak in. And where was Hanami? Gai was also there, for whatever reason, and was now bawling his eyes out. He dropped to his knees and bowed at my feet, like he was praying for my forgiveness. What the heck was going on?

Then, Kakashi turned around with a glare, and in his arms was Hanami, her body curled into a ball and a bruise plastered onto her forehead.

"What happened?" I ground out, my hands now in tight fists at my sides. I trusted her with them for less than two hours, and she _already_ had to be taken to the hospital? How do you mess up so badly?

"Rin-chan, what's going on down there?" Tsunade emerged from the break room in stride with her arms crossed her her chest. She looked from me, then to the sobbing mess that was Maito Gai, then to my two teammates and my unconscious sister. "What the hell happened here? Is that kid OK?"

"Good question, Tsunade-sama. What happened, Kakashi?" I figured he would be the one most likely to cut to the chase and leave out the bullcrap. The longer this was dragged on, the more the anger started to consume me. I was a passive person, but this was crossing the line. Obito's lip quivered, and I could tell it wouldn't be long before he was crying, too.

"I'm sorry, Rin-chan! We didn't mean to!" Ok, I've had _enough_. I balled the front of Obito's shirt in my hand and brought his face close, my other hand in a fist and aimed for his nose, if he didn't explain things, and now. "W-what happened, was-"

 _"I WAS JUST TRYING TO ENGAGE MY ETERNAL RIVAL IN A FRIENDLY SPAR!_ " Gai's shrill voice boomed from his huddled pile on the floor, and I was surprised it didn't cause the windows to crack. _"KAKASHI-SAN DODGED MY KICK SO SWIFTLY AND MASTERFULLY, I DIDN'T SEE THAT HANAMI-CHAN WAS SITTING ON THE BENCH BEHIND HIM! I AM FOREVER AT YOUR MERCY, RIN-SAN!"_

Oh, my _god_.

"You kicked a baby in the face?!" I shook his limp body by the collar of his shirt, his head jerking back and forth. My nerves were on over drive, and I was quickly headed towards a panic attack. So, I punched Gai hard enough that he blacked out. Normally, I'd be proud that I could punch that hard, but this wasn't the time for self-praise. He collapsed in my arms, and I promptly let him fall to the ground in a tear stained heap.

"Huh. Not even a concussion. Kid's got a thick skull." Tsunade had Hanami-chan in her lap, her hands glowing a vibrant green. She canceled the diagnostic justsu and brushed some hair out of her face, then got to work on healing the ruptured capillaries under Hanami's skin. I dropped to my knees at her side, relief washing over my body. It's just a bruise, Rin. It's just a bruise.

"I'm going to go ahead and patch this up, though. It'd be a shame for such a cute little girl walking around with a nasty, purple footprint on her forehead." I forced a smile. I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. It was Obito, and his cheeks were red and puffy like he had been crying. He's always been sensitive like that.

"I'm _so_ sorry that this happened, Rin." A long sigh escaped my lungs. None of this was done on purpose, and I knew that. Things just could've been so much worse.

"…Rin?" Hanami's eyes opened slowly, and squinted at the sharpness of the overhead lights. She rolled her head over, her brow creased in confusion. Tsunade removed her hands from her forehead. Hanami's eyes widened a fraction. "… _God_ , your boobs are even bigger in person."

Kakashi slapped his forehead, Obito's face turned a bright red, Gai was still unconscious and I was just glad she was OK.

•

 **Hanami**

We had just gotten out of the bath, and Rin was combing my hair. I couldn't remember anything after getting nailed in the forehead, and it was well after eight by the time I finally awoke from my twelve hour power nap. Rin hummed to herself, her fingers skillfully winding a fishtail braid into one half of my parted hair. I bit the inside of my cheek. How did I go about this? And really, was I angry with her for keeping it from me? She must've had her reasons, whatever they were.

"Hey, sis?" I drawled, and curled my fingers over my knees.

"Hmm?"

"Why didn't you tell me I might not ever be able to mold chakra?" She paused, her fingers still intertwined with my hair. She heaved a heavy sigh and reached forward, her arms wrapping around my shoulders and pulling me against her chest.

"Did Kakashi tell you?"

"Yes." Another sigh. She ran the backs of her fingers over the side of my cheek, and I let myself relax into her. We lapsed into a silence, and I let her collect her thoughts.

"…once momma and papa learned that your chakra system's growth had been stunted, they refused to let you be a ninja. They said, _'What kind of ninja can't mold chakra_?' They weren't even going to give you the option of becoming a kunoichi." she let that settle in. Well, _shit_. What an interesting development.

"When they… after what happened, I decided that I was going to let you be who you wanted to be. And if you wanted to be a ninja, I was going to let you. I just didn't want you to get discouraged, I guess." Her arms tightened around me. I rested my head on her clavicle and mulled over her words. It made sense to me, why she didn't just come out and say it. So I found any irritation that I had had earlier in the day fade into obscurity.

"Are you upset with me, Hanami-chan?" I turned around and wrapped my arms around her neck. I shook my head 'no'. We stayed wrapped in each other's arms for several minutes, and both of us remained quiet. I wasn't upset with her, but with my parents. I didn't want to be a ninja, I was fairly positive. But knowing that they wouldn't have at least given me a chance? That pissed me off, quite frankly. I wasn't used to having parental figures not support my endeavors, and even if they weren't currently around to dictate my life, I was overcome with the desire to prove them wrong. How successful I would be is something time would only be able to tell.

•

 **Ok, so about this chapter, mainly on Hanami's chakra; a year ago when I was first working out the kinks of the idea of having something wrong with her chakra system, I spent a few days researching how I could go about it in a way that would make sense. Canonically, I couldn't really find any illness or deformity I could pin to her, so I just came up with something on my own. I guess you could call it a headcanon of sorts. You might be wondering now how and if I intend to write her as a ninja; you'll simply have to read and find out. That'll be coming here within the next ten chapters or so, stay tuned in. Anyway, please review! Tell me what you liked, what you didn't, all that jazz.**

 **Fun Fact of the day: Hanami was not only originally a medic, but her character design was inspired by May Chang from FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.**

 **Oh, and I almost forgot- I reached 50+ follows and 30+ faves today! Thank you!**


	10. Chapter Nine:

**Yo dawg. There's some pretty important stuff in the author's note, and you should really consider reading it, k thanks.**

 **Chapter Nine: Wherein Hanami turns two, Kushina** **throws an (unwanted) party and Pakun eats the** **cake.**

•

 **"…why in the fuck would I want to be a ninja? I had** **other things to worry about, like the mortality rate of** **my loved ones. I didn't need to be bothered with** **getting mauled by Tora the hell cat or tree walking."**

•

 **Hanami**

The war had momentarily winded down, and Kushina and Minato returned from the front lines a week apart from each other, like they had expected, and the team had begun taking missions again. Tsunade and Shizune didn't stay for long, leaving only a few days after they had arrived. There wasn't really an influx of half dead shinobi like there had been, so I guess they didn't see the point in staying. Really, it's a miracle Tsunade even _showed_ in the first place. From what Rin had said, she vomited and locked herself in one of the janitor's closets after attempting to treat a patient who was in the process of bleeding to death. Haemophobia could do that to ya. Coming here probably just made things worse.

"How was your mission?" We had bunked at Minato and Kushina's, at the request of the latter. Our apartment had flooded while Rin was away, and the issue had yet to be fully resolved. It was like every other day we had some kind of major catastrophe that our landlord refused to pay for, or even put forth the effort to fix himself. I was going to shit on his doorstep one of these days.

"It was fine, Kushina-san. Kind of boring, actually." Rin shoveled the rest of her rice into her mouth, and took a large gulp of her orange juice. I watched them with half lidded eyes, trying to force my mind into alertness. What is _with_ toddlers? Barely awake for an hour, and I feel like death itself.

"…what's for breakfast?" Obito appeared suddenly, finally being roused from his heavy sleep on his sensei's couch. There wasn't really any reason for him sleeping over, other than the fact that he didn't know how to cook for himself and that Rin was here. Sometimes I wondered if she really had _no_ idea that he was madly in love with her, or if she just chose to ignore it. It was depressing, whichever.

"Miso, rice, and eggs! Eat up; you're lookin' a bit scrawny." He made a noncommittal type motion at her and pulled out a chair, and didn't waste much time devouring the bowl of rice that was place before him. I slid him my bowl of miso, and he gladly accepted it. _Yuck_. Miso was an abomination, and why anyone willingly ate it was beyond me.

"Hey Rin-chan, do think maybe you'd wanna go see a movie later?…With me? _Alone_?" I was actually pretty impressed that he hadn't stuttered, and that his face hadn't erupted in redness like it usually did. He was making progress, if not by much. Kushina shot him a knowing look and started collecting the dirty dishes from the table, and Rin rose from her seat to help her wash them. I, because I am a toddler and it's ok for me to do these types of things, made kissy faces at him and stuck out my tongue when he flicked me.

"Ah, sorry, I can't. I'm saving up for something, and really don't have any extra money to spend." He started to explain that it would a date and that he'd be paying, but gave up when she turned away from him, her answer final. I patted him on the arm. I feel you, buddy. I really, _really_ do.

"What are we saving up for?" Maybe she was planning on getting us the fuck out of that shithole we have to call home. Last week, one of Etsuko's cats got into our apartment and pissed on all of Rin's clothes. Obito had to hold her back to keep her from strangling the damn thing. "Are we moving? _Please_ tell me we're moving."

Rin laughed nervously, like this wasn't a topic she wanted to be veering into right now. "No, no. That's up next, though, don't worry." She placed a kiss on top of my head as she walked by, and Obito's longing expression didn't go unnoticed. By me. Rin, on the other hand, stayed blissfully aloof.

"Is it about Hanami's birthday p- _oof_!" Rin clamped her hand around Obito's mouth, her eyes set in a vicious glare. Huh. Was it really that time of the year again? I started losing track of the days after a while. It was also still a little odd, having my birthday not be in be in the fall. February first just didn't have the same ring to it that September twenty-eighth had had.

"Ooh, we're throwing Hanami-chan a birthday party? I wanna help! I'm great with baking!" I could tell that the gears in Kushina's head were turning out ideas a mile a minute. To be honest, birthday parties weren't something I cared about. My birthday had made the transition from being the most exciting day of the year to just another lackluster Tuesday a long time ago. I leaned back in my chair and sipped on my orange juice. Now that I was thinking about, I couldn't remember the last time I truly felt any excitement about turning another year older. Maybe when I had turned ten, when I got my first sewing machine. It was a cheap low level model and broke within the year, but I treated it with as much care as someone would their first born child.

"It's ok, Rin. Don't worry about throwing a party. Birthdays are dumb, anyway." Really, we didn't have the money to be blowing it on presents and streamers. Rin deflated, and immediately I felt guilty for my choice of words.

"No, Hanami-chan, your birthday isn't dumb. You didn't get to celebrate it last year, so this year needs to be extra special." I sighed. I know how Rin is. She tends to overcompensate, always trying to make up for something that she couldn't control. I patted her head, and she sunk in her chair and put her head over her crossed arms. Yep, I felt bad. _Shit_.

"We can't just _not_ throw you a birthday party, Hanami-chan! We threw Rin one, Kakashi one…hm, Obito, when's your birthday?" Said Uchiha had been in the middle of sulking when Kushina called him into attention. He perked up from his disheveled slouch and scratched the side of his cheek.

"Uh, it's February tenth. Why?" Kushina crossed her arms, and tapped her chin thoughtfully. Her eyes lit up like chlorine colored fireworks, and she clapped her hands together. There was a collective raising of brows. She was always chipper, but usually this kind of enthusiasm was the result of concocting a new way to prank her boyfriend.

"Since the dates are so close, how about we have Hanami-chan and Obito's party on the same day? Double the cake, double the food, double the fun!" She sounded like a total soccer mom, but she kinda was, so it was fitting. Me and Obito looked between each other, and he shrugged. Rin's discouraged look from moments before had completely vanished, and I wished I could say I was as eager as they were.

"Ah, that's a great idea, Kushina-san! How does that sound to you guys?" Rin was just as much a weakness for me as she was for Obito, and I couldn't really find it in me to object. Obito gave sunny thumbs up and a toothy grin, and I tried to replicate it, although I doubt that it was actually convincing.

"That sounds great! I've never had a birthday party before." The mood was promptly turned down a few notches. He was scratching at his cheek again, his expression sheepish. "Usually, Mikoto-sama brings over some dumplings on my birthday, but I've never had a party celebrating it." _Goddamn_ , his entire life was a sob story.

" _Obito_ …" Rin reached over and wrapped her hand around his, and as per usual at any skin to skin contact with my sister, his cheeks abruptly turned red. He was going to blush so hard on of these days that he'd explode.

"Well, that ends this year. We're going to throw the biggest, most awesome birthday party that anyone has ever seen!" Kushina pumped her fist in the air like was she making some grand proclamation to the gods. I was the only one in the room that wasn't animatedly expressing their excitement, and I stuck out like a pouty, unenthused thumb.

"So Obito, what presents would you like for your first official birthday party? Mission gear? New clothes?" They had already decided to make a chocolate cake with blue, vanilla icing for Obito, and I was still completely uninvolved, remaining lost in my own thoughts. I remember for my sixteenth birthday party, my dad had the bright idea of hiring a local band to play. They showed up completely shit-faced, and the drummer tried to get my mom to blow him. Then, one of them tried to stage dive and landed on my cake. Good times, those were.

"A kiss on the mouth from my sister, probably." If I wasn't a toddler and his crush's little sister, he probably would've strangled me. Kushina tried to hide her laugh behind the back of her hand, but failed miserably. I didn't know _how_ that didn't seem to faze Rin, as she just rolled her eyes and swatted me on my arm. The day when Obito blushed so hard he died was apparently upon us, as it was like he was actually melting into a puddle of unrequited pinning and utter despair.

"W-well, I bet _you_ want a kiss from Itachi!" I snorted. Itachi may be pretty, but two year olds really weren't my type. Pretty sure that no matter how you rolled the dice, that would still be considered pedophilia. They just didn't know that.

"Pfft, you're gonna have to try a _lot_ harder than that, Obito-nii." He pulled me under his arm and ground his fist into my head, but ended his assault on my cranium at the disapproving look Rin was giving him. It really paid to have an overprotective sister sometimes.

"Ok, Hanami-chan, what would you like? Y'know, gifts, what kind of cake…" I sat back in my chair again. Really, what I wanted was a sewing machine. I was itching to get busy with my hands again, but I knew that I was a ways away from really being able to use one. I had mastered hand sewing once upon a time, but these hands weren't calloused with the skill I had once possessed. But, I suppose we all have to start from somewhere.

"Any cake is fine, so use your imagination, I guess. I'd like some sewing supplies, and maybe some books." I hummed to myself, ignoring the concerned gleam in my sister's eyes. She didn't like the equation of Hanami plus needles, plus shears, and I knew it. "And… _hmm_. That's about it, actually." As soon as the words left my lips, a thought came to mind. "Oh, and I wanna see Kakashi's face." I didn't get to see it before I died, so dammit, I wasn't going to die again without knowing what he was hiding under that mask.

"That's it? _Really_? You don't want any toys, or anything?" I shook my head, and Kushina frowned. "Well, I'm still going to get you other stuff, and you're just going to have to deal with it." And that was that. She left no room for any arguments, but that was Kushina for you.

"Aren't you the _least_ bit excited, Hanami-chan?" It was a few days later, and our apartment was now habitable. Rin and Kushina had been keeping things completely under wraps from both Obito and I, and the only thing that I knew for sure was that my cake was going to have yellow icing. Obito was practically bouncing off the walls in anticipation. The only birthday gifts he had ever received had been given to him by my sister and Mikoto, so the thought of having a party dedicated to his birth was absolutely mind boggling to him. I, on the other hand, couldn't really care less, but went along with things because it made Rin happy. And, because I wanted sewing supplies, dammit.

"Nah, I'm excited, I just know how to contain myself." She wasn't convinced. I sighed and rolled over on my back, my eyes transfixed on the ceiling fan as it spun in an endless circle. "Birthdays aren't that big of a deal, when you think about it. Just one year closer to death."

" _Hanami_!"

"What?" It dawned on me then that that was probably the _worst_ thing I could've said to her, so I slapped myself. I'm an idiot. "I'm sorry, sis. Yes, I'm excited. Thank you for doing this for me." She shot me one of those motherly disapproval type looks and took a stack of small envelopes from her bag.

"Good. Now, come on. We're handing these out to your friends." I tried to contain my laugh, I really did, but to no avail. I laughed long and hard, and was even able to produce some tears. What friends, besides my family (which according to Rin, didn't count)? Itachi was chill, Shisui I wasn't so sure about, and that was where my short list ended.

"What's so funny? You have friends." She had her hands in her hips, and I knew if she wasn't in mommy mode, she'd be pouting, too.

"No, sis, I really don't. I have you, Minato, Kushina, and Obito, but I can't exactly hand out invitations to any of you guys, because you're already coming. And half of the party is for Obito, anyway. You can't invite someone to their own birthday party."

"What about Itachi? And Shisui? You got along with Itachi really well, I thought." She plopped down on our couch with me and pulled my legs over onto her lap. Yes, Itachi was fine, if not a bit intimidating. Shisui was a fuck head, but I wasn't about to voice that. I didn't feel like getting slapped today.

"I like Itachi, but I'm pretty sure Shisui doesn't like me, so he's out." And odd fascinations didn't count. This time she did pout, but wasn't deterred for long. She stood and pulled me with her, and picked me up when I tried to climb back onto the couch.

"Well, too bad. We're going over there _right now_ and giving them their invitations, and you're going to do it _all_ by yourself." I groaned, she groaned back just to mock me, and I didn't have any more say in the matter.

"Are you _really_ going to make me do this?" We were outside of Itachi's house, the place just as oddly quiet as it always was. The looks we got whenever we came over made the both of us squirm. One thing I had come to notice about the Uchiha, was that they didn't take too well to outsiders. I knew it was more than likely due to how ostracized they had become, but it was unnerving, nonetheless.

"Yes, Hanami-chan, you _have_ to do this. It'll be good for you." she knocked on the door for me, but pulled me in front of her so that I couldn't hide behind her legs. "Smile, please." I didn't. That was just asking too much.

"Oh, Hanami-chan. I didn't know you were coming over today." Itachi looked pleasantly surprised, his normal smile in place like it usually was. Already, my face was beet red. But I knew the longer I stood there in silence, the hotter my cheeks would burn, so I cleared my throat. This was going to be awkward.

 _"Hey my birthday is coming up and I was just wondering if you'd like to come but you don't have to if you don't want to actually I really won't blame you if you don't show up I don't even want to go-"_ I took a deep breath. "So, yeah." I shoved the decorative envelopes forward, just now noticing that they were covered in flowers and glitter. I hoped for Obito's sake that his didn't look like this.

He blinked, his long lashes nearly touching his cheeks bones. Really, boys shouldn't be allowed to have eyelashes that pretty. Little fucker didn't even need mascara.

"I would love to come, Hanami. Thank you for inviting me." He eyed the invitations, his finger tips skimming over the bumpy, sparkling texture. "Is the other one for Shisui?" Unfortunately, yes.

"Itachi-kun, who's at the door? Oh, Rin-chan, Hanami-chan, hello. Would you like to come in? The boys were just getting out of the bath. They came home earlier _covered_ in mud." Rin would never pass up an offer to socialize, so she grabbed my hand and pulled me inside, both of us taking off our shoes in the process.

"Itachi, where the heck are you?" Shisui came bounding around the hall with only his underwear on and a towel around his shoulders. This may sound odd, but I was still in shock that the males here had nipples. I guess I had just assumed that regardless if a fucking _anime_ was now my reality, that the whole " _HE AIN'T GOT NO NIPPLES_ " thing would carry over. Shisui skidded to a stop in front of us, seemingly aware now of his partial nudity.

"Oh, hey Hanami." He was the only other Uchiha besides Obito that wore his emotions like a neon sign, and he wasn't happy to see me. His cheeks were tinged pink, and his lips set in a frown. God, what was _with_ this kid? Surely, he should be used to me by now. It was like every time he saw me, he reverted back to how he approached me the day we met. But hey, I guess this is what I asked for. At least one of them didn't care for me. That was something.

"Well, that's no way to greet someone, Shisui-kun." Mikoto swatted him on the behind, but that did little other than make his cheeks redder than they were before.

"What's she doing here?" Have you ever told yourself that someone's opinion of you doesn't matter, but it actually does? Well, that was me right now. He hated me, and the only reason I could really think of as to why is that he didn't want anyone interrupting his dynamic with Itachi, and I understood that. Hell, even _I_ didn't really want to mess with it. My reservations on both of them hadn't subsided just because I socialized with them. If things went the way they had before, both of them were going to die, and under heart breaking pretenses. Why I was allowing myself to get pulled into their world was something I often pondered at night. Maybe I'm a sadist.

"Shisui, you're being rude. Hanami-chan came over to invite us to her birthday party." Itachi's speaking skills were probably better than most adult's, and he was barely two. Freaking baby geniuses, man.

"Oh…ok. Yeah, I'll go, I guess." I almost felt a bit insulted at his tone. Yeah, I know this isn't going to be the party of the _freaking_ year, but damn. He could at least _try_ to act enthusiastic. If I can do it, he can, too.

"You don't _have_ to come, if you don't want to." That came out more snappish than I had meant it to, but there was no taking it back now. He looked taken aback, like he hadn't expected that from me, and truthfully, I hadn't, either. Itachi's eyes switched between Shisui and me, an unsure frown tugging his lips downwards. Well, this was incredibly awkward.

"… _well_ , I'm sorry to have to cut this visit short, but Hanami-chan and I have more invitations to hand out. We hope to see you at the party!" Rin turned on her heels and pulled me along with her, stopping only so we could put our shoes back onto our feet. She shut the door behind her with a low click. We stood there for a moment, and I exhaled the breath that I had been holding. One great thing about Rin, was that she always backed out of tense situations at _exactly_ the right time. I kind of loved her for it.

"What did you do to make Shisui not like you that much, Hanami-chan?" We were home again, and thankfully she didn't force me to throw anymore invitations at people. She cooked us dinner and didn't bring up any mention of the party until afterwards, when we were laying down for the night. I snuggled closer into her side.

Really, I didn't know how to answer that. I had hoped that the _both_ of them would just hate me, and now that I had half of that wish, I didn't know what I really felt about it. If I were to continue pursuing a friendship with Itachi, and Shisui still disliked me, that would just make things more difficult for everyone. And the last thing I needed was for things to be any more of a cluster fuck.

"I don't know, sis." I decided then, as I was falling asleep, that if Shisui was going to hate me that I would break off any contact with Itachi. It would be better that way. They were like brothers, and if it was going to be impossible for me to just kind of exist alongside that without conflict, then I didn't want to interfere. It was better if that happened now if it's going to happen, anyway. If I walked out of Itachi's life now, he'd be able to move on with things without thinking twice about it, I was sure. Obviously, Shisui could survive without me. And honestly, my life would be a hell of a lot easier it they weren't in it.

•

 **Rin**

An aggravated sigh escaped me, and it was becoming increasingly less and less likely that by the end of this, I would still have my patience intact. I hadn't ever wrapped a gift before; and every attempt I had had in the last hour has reaped nothing but failure. Kushina was humming a happy tune, and each gift box that her fingers graced came out looking like they belonged in a catalogue.

"Having some trouble there, Rin-chan?" Another sigh. She giggled, and stacked the latest finished product on top of the other already wrapped gifts. I crumbled the purple and yellow wrapping paper in my hand and slumped against the wall. Everything _had_ to be perfect, not only for Hanami-chan, but for Obito, too. They deserved it, and so much more than that.

"You could say that." She placed her hand on my knee and squeezed. My eyes trailed over to her, brow furrowing at the sight of her pursed lips. For being a jōnin, Kushina was fairly easy to read. Like right now, she wanted to talk to me about something that wasn't my poor gift wrapping skills, but didn't know how to venture into it; whatever _it_ was.

"…Don't you think it's a little odd, that a two year old doesn't want any toys for her birthday?" Kushina had a way about her that when she wanted to veer into a more serious topic of discussion, she'd go about it like she was talking about the weather. And no; I hadn't really stopped to think about it that way. It was her birthday, and I was going to buy her what she wanted. Well, Kushina wouldn't let me actually _pay_ for anything myself, but that wasn't the point.

"It's what Hanami-chan wants, and I wasn't going to tell her no." She pursed her lips, the uncertainty clearly engraved into her expression.

"That's just something more for someone older, y'know? And she's very smart for her age, too. I sure as hell didn't know how to read or was able to speak full sentences by the time I was a year and a half."

"Where are you going with this, Kushina-san?" I was proud of myself for keeping my voice even and my expression neutral, because I had a feeling I knew where this was headed, and that was straight for an early academy registration. Konoha is in dire need of shinobi due to our losses so far in the war, and there was a lot of pressure on ninja families and civilians alike to put their children through the academy, and younger than normal. Usually, the academy entry age is five, but if the child shows exceeding levels of intelligence and skill, earlier than that. If I remembered right, Kakashi-kun started when he was three, and graduated the year I enrolled. That was just too early.

"Well, I was thinking that we could start training her. Start on her endurance; have her begin mediating so she can develop her chakra, stuff like that. With a brain as big as hers, she could _really_ do well in the academy. She'd make a fine kunoichi." I paused. Yes, Hanami-chan is weirdly smart, that much was obvious. And yes, she could be an excellent ninja, should she decide to become one. But I know my sister. Her mind is as far away from 'ninja' as Kushina's mind is 'relaxed'.

"Do you want me to enroll her in the academy early, Kushina-san?"

"Well, kind of. Yes. But not right now. It's just; we've taken some _big_ hits over the last few years. You know how _depleted_ our recourses are…"

"I know that. But she's not ready. And honestly, I don't know if she'll even want to be a ninja."

"Rin-chan, I'm not talking about now. Or even next year, or the year after that. But she has a lot of potential, she just needs a little push. At _least_ let us begin training her." She wrapped her hand around my forearm and squeezed. I let my shoulders relax. It was one thing if she _wanted_ to be a ninja, but something entirely different if we _forced_ her. All of this came down to whether or not she even wanted to attend the academy. So I thought about my answer for a moment, and came to a resolve.

"Ok, you can train her." her face lit up. " _But_ ," and then it fell slightly. " _Only_ if she absolutely, positively _wants_ to become a kunoichi." She wagged her head vigorously, reaching over and wrapping her arms around my shoulders.

"That's my girl! I promise we won't make her do anything she's not comfortable with. But, we could really use someone like her in the future, when she's ready." A sense of hesitancy overcame me, but I didn't voice my doubts. Her regular, exuberant demeanor resumed, and the air was quickly filled with her chatter. It was soothing, in a way.

"Here, Rin-chan, let me help." She grabbed the small box I was in the process of not-wrapping and took the scissors from my hands. "Here, fold it like this…"

•

 **Hanami**

Not surprisingly, the night before my birthday, I lied in bed restlessly. Rin had been walking around like there was something on her mind since the day before, and I had yet to decipher what it could possibly be. But that wasn't the only thing that was keeping me awake.

Two years here, already? It seemed like just yesterday that I was taking my first breath. I started to wonder how my mom, dad, and six brothers were doing. Had my oldest brother graduated from college yet? Had my youngest brother mustered up the courage to ask out that girl he had been pinning for since elementary school? But most importantly, were they ok without me? I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt wash over my body, like the relentless waves of the ocean had when I had decided to jump, and unfortunately, to my death. It was so mind boggling dumb, what I did. And _so_ fucking selfish. I let the tears flood my vision, and didn't bother to wipe them away as they trailed down my cheeks.

Who was I, prancing around and masquerading as a goddamn toddler? Who was I, pretending to be the last remaining family member of someone who practically had "Dead Girl Walking" tattooed on her forehead? I would never be Hanami Nohara, and I shouldn't be the one blowing out the candles on her birthday cake.

As the sun had started to rise and as my eyes started to flutter, I wished for something that I hadn't in more than a year; that when I woke, I'd be surrounded by yellow and lavender walls, and my alarm clock would be buzzing, demanding me to wake. That I'd hear my mother's thickly accented voice call me down for breakfast, and then I'd wrestle my youngest brother for the last piece of bacon. I wished that I would walk to school, dreading every step, and I wished that I could spend just one more period of calculus texting my best friend, even though we both had stacks of schoolwork high enough to reach the ceiling.

But when I _did_ wake, I was greeted with the sight of my beaming sister, and I found myself slowly letting go of the wishes I had been clinging to so desperately only hours before. There was still a whole in my heart, and I wasn't sure if she was the one filling it, but it was fading into nothing but a memory. At least for today.

"Happy Birthday, Hanami-chan!" My face split into a smile when she placed a small box on my lap. The edges were crinkled and far beyond perfect, but that made me treasure it that much more.

" _Open it, open it!_ " She nudged my hands, and I complied, carefully pulling back the yellow paper. Beneath it was a purple box, its texture smooth and shiny. I pulled it open, a gasp flowing past my lips. It was a necklace with a black, velvet string, a small amethyst pendant resting at the center. "We got you what you asked for, too, but this was something just from me." I remained quiet, and gently ran my fingers over the glistening gemstone.

"Do you like it? If you don't, we can take it back-"

" _I love it_." I wiped the tears from my eyes that threatened to fall. " _Thank you_ , Rin. I love it. I _really_ do." The happiness I felt was different from when my parents had gifted me my first sewing machine. They had gotten it for me because I wouldn't shut up about it, but this came from the bottom of Rin's heart. No doubt, she had saved up for this for months. A distinctive warmth settled over my chest. I knew that I loved Rin, but I guess I just didn't realize how much. Her hand reached forward and cupped my cheek.

"Let's get dressed, ok? Kushina will tear us a new one if we're late."

For the first time since I've been here, I felt a bit more like myself. It still stung to look in the mirror, but seeing the pendant shine so brilliantly from its place on my clavicle made things feel alright. Not like they used to feel, but I could live with it.

•

They, as in Kushina Uzumaki, had rented out the park for the entire day, and I was afraid to ask how much exactly that had cost. It was probably unnecessary, considering my half of the whole shebang only included two people- or one, as Shisui didn't show up. Itachi apologized profusely, but I wasn't all that shocked.

Of the party itself, half of the area that had been set up was yellow and lilac, while the other half was blue and orange. All of my sister's friends showed, even Gai (who by the way, was _still_ on Rin's shit list) bearing both gifts for both Obito and I. The former ended up crying, as suspected by basically everyone. We had gotten to the gift giving part after both cakes were completely devoured. Obito's was attacked by Pakkun, who I was absolutely _thrilled_ to finally meet. He had been sitting on my lap since our introduction, his summoner standing off in the distance, arms crossed and probably pouting underneath his mask. I _highly_ doubted I'd be getting what I had asked for from him, but I knew it was probably too much to wish for.

"Ah, guys, thanks _so_ much for all of this. Really, you have no idea how much this means to me." Obito's cheeks were still red and puffy, and if he hadn't cried out half of his body weight in tears earlier in the party, he'd be sniffling now, too. He received mission gear, clothing, a pin-up magazine from Genma and a slew of other things I hadn't paid much mind to. He unwrapped his gifts with the kind of enthusiasm that a five year old has on Christmas morning, and it was positively precious. He even thanked Kushina for a pack of underwear and socks, if that tells you anything about his character.

As far as my half of the party is concerned, I got what I asked for and then some. My sewing supplies came with the rules of " _No cutting by yourself! Get Rin to do it for you!"_ and needles that weren't as pointy as regular ones were, all having a bigger eye so they're easier to thread. Plus a superfluous amount of clothing for a mere two year old, play kunai and shuriken, an _elating_ amount of literature, and a beautiful deck of Hanafuda from Itachi. It even came with its own box, bearing my birth flower engraved on the front. I hugged him and kissed his cheek, and he hasn't stopped blushing since. Kushina and Mikoto have been whispering to each other for the past ten minutes, and I'm fairly sure they're planning our wedding. _Sheesh_. Like that'll happen.

"Don't worry about it, man. Just don't cry anymore. It's really not manly." Says the eleven year old with a voice as deep as a grown ass man, otherwise known as Ibiki Morino. Asuma nodded in silent agreement, and Kurenai jabbed him with her elbow.

"Well, _I_ think it's attractive. Sensitivity is _hot_." I'd never seen Asuma Sarutobi pout and sulk like a baby, and I was honestly wondering where it had been all my life. Obito bristled and blushed hotter than ever, even more so when Rin agreed with her. He hadn't gotten the kiss I knew he desperately wanted, but getting called hot and having Rin agree probably made up for it.

Things started to settle down, and the boys had gotten themselves into a "friendly" sparring match that Fugaku and Minato were watching to pass the time. The former I had just met today, who was forced into a party hat by his giggling wife and her hotheaded best friend. He still hasn't taken it off yet. Rin allowed me to go off by myself, but only if I was still visible and within earshot. It was fine. The day's events still left me feeling light and happy- actual, honest to the Universe _happiness_ , but I was the type of person that after so much interaction with other human beings, needed time to wind down.

The air was crisp, and I had a feeling it wouldn't be long before it felt like summer, even in the beginning of February. I wondered what it was going to be like, growing up in this world. This vile, fucked up world filled with child sized murderers and wars that were bound to happen. I was coming to the conclusion that if I didn't look at these people as characters serving a role in a plot, that I was less terrified of the tragedy to befall them. I knew that it wouldn't be long before I would have to face the fact that they would eventually be brought forth to serve their original purpose, but that wasn't happening just yet. For right now, if I lived this life as just another childhood of fleeting memories, then being Hanami Nohara might come to me more naturally, like an extension of myself. Would I ever truly become her? No. That was impossible. But it would have to do, if I wanted to keep my sanity.

"Sorry I'm late." At first, I thought it sounded like Itachi, but the voice then registered in my mind as Shisui. He didn't wait for a reply and sat down in the grass close to where I was laying. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. His curly mop of hair was ruffled by the breeze, and his stony eyes were glued to the pastel sky above us. It was funny to me, in a way. I had almost expected a friendship to form with both of the boys instantly, whether I wanted it to or not. That just almost seemed mandatory. I guess I thought that Shisui would become this brother figure the second I met him, and that I'd just be welcomed with open arms into their little secluded bubble with no hiccups.

"…I brought you this." He shoved a small, poorly wrapped rectangular box into my lap, and I sat up to inspect it. My lips curled into a smile at the wrapping paper; it was covered in little hearts and daisies. The box was revealed to be containing an ink set, complete with a pen and the more traditional brush. "I, uh… didn't know really what to get you, so I hope you like it." I was noticing that the more "black sheep" Uchiha had the tendency to scratch when they were unsure of themselves- be it their ears, cheeks or the backs of their heads. Shisui took to his left cheek.

"I love it. Thank you, Shisui." His cheeks and ears were flushed, and he didn't reply. He drew his legs to his chest and wrapped his arms securely around them. I knew that this wasn't going to come to some sort of resolve unless I took the lead.

"I know why you don't like me." his shoulders tensed, and I saw his nails dig deeper into the skin of his calves. "It's always been you and Itachi, and you don't know if you want there to be anyone else in the mix. And I get that." he was fidgeting, like he wanted to lash out at me and it was taking every bit of him not to. "If you want me to back off, I can. I don't want to make things hard for you, Shisui." I reached my hand over and placed it on his shoulder, and his head snapped up at the sudden contact. I expected him to shrug me off, but he didn't. It was like the touch relaxed him, if only by a hair. He gulped and averted his eyes away to the ground.

"No, don't do that. Itachi likes you, and…and I don't _hate_ you, Hanami. It's like what you said; I'm just…not _used_ to it. But don't leave, please. That would _really_ hurt Itachi's feelings." that was the most he had ever said to me, and it left me speechless. "I just wanna protect Itachi, I guess. And I didn't know you, and I wasn't sure if I even _wanted_ to, and I've never been friends with a girl before, or anyone besides Itachi, really…" He was babbling now, his expression animated and punctuating every word with some kind of hand gesture, which was culturally considered rude and obnoxious. Oh, yeah. Black sheep fit him like a glove.

"I get it, Shisui. It's ok." I felt relieved that I didn't have to cut off Itachi like an extra inch of fabric, but I still wasn't sure if I was ready to be their friend. I just had to remind myself that we were still children; babies, even. They may be ticking time bombs, but at least they weren't going to detonate for another ten or so years.

"…are we friends now? Because I'm ok with that." I nodded once, and a grin practically split his cheeks in half. I didn't know what it was with Uchiha, but whenever they decided to smile, it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

•

 **...** _ **aaaaand**_ **that's a wrap for now! Chapter ten, we will be experiencing a three year time skip so we can hurry up and get to the good stuff; aka, all of the (** _ **possible**_ **) death and destruction.** **Is Obito going to get crushed by a rock? Is Rin going to die a terrible death? Will Naruto still be an orphan?! You're just going to have to read and find out. Shit is about to get** _ **alarmingly**_ **real,** _ **alarmingly**_ **fast, and reality is going to slap Hanami across the face so hard she won't know what to do with herself.**

 **I'm going to be taking a little break for about a week or so, maybe shorter than that. Mainly so I can get chapters 12 through possibly 17 written, edited and ready to upload. I like to have a constant flow of chapters that I can give to you guys, so there's not a very drawn out waiting period. So, there's that. But there are a** _ **lot**_ **of things to look forward to: different character POVs, the introduction of more characters (** **IMPORTANT** **ones, too), Hanami's decision on whether or not she will become a ninja, possible romance and more! Side note; I feel like I'm advertising something in an infomercial; "UNIMAGINABLE PAIN AND SUFFERING FOR AS LOW AS $19.99!11! AND IF YOU ORDER NOW, YOU'LL GET A BOX OF TISSUES AND A HUG FROM THE AUTHOR FOR** _ **FREE**_ **!"**

 **Fun Fact of the Day: This entire chapter was written in one day, and was a total fluke. No planning at all, just continuous typing. I nearly named it "The Chapter that just Sorta Happened", but obviously that didn't really keep up with the theme of "Wherein blah blah blah".**

 **Remember to review! Predictions of the next chapter, what you liked and not so much, questions, comments or concerns are all welcome.**


	11. Chapter Ten:

**Yo, you should really conisde reading the author's note at the bottom, k thanks.**

•

 **Chapter Ten: Wherein things are put on fast**

 **forward, Hanami takes everyone by surprise and**

 **Rin decides her future.**

•

 **"For right now, if I lived this life as just another**

 **childhood of fleeting memories, then being Hanami**

 **Nohara might come to me more naturally, like an**

 **extension of myself. Would I ever truly become her?**

 **No. That was impossible. But it would have to do, if I**

 **wanted to keep my sanity."**

 **Hanami**

"Just _breathe_ , Hanami." He says this, as if I haven't done that a million times already. But I don't voice my grievances, as I've learned over the last three years that sassiness and Kakashi Hatake mix together about as well as oil and water. Oh, and he never _did_ end up showing me his face. One of these days, dammit. It's been on my birthday list every year since.

"Pretty sure she's doin' _plenty_ of breathing, _Kakashi_." I've also discovered that Obito, while I love him dearly, is sometimes more of a hindrance to my progress than an asset. Not that he couldn't help me with this or that, but _damn_ , it's hard to learn how to control your chakra when all you can concentrate on is the two dickheads bickering in your ear.

"Why won't you just _leave_? You're not helping." And I kind of hate to say it, but I had to agree with him. Obito would often swing by whenever Kakashi and I were meditating, and after the first few times he decided to grace us with his presence, he learned that meditating was the bane of his existence and that he was never doing it, ever again. Not enough noise, he said. He really was far too excitable. So he stopped interrupting us for a while, but today he was bored out of his fucking mind, apparently, and showed up out of nowhere.

"Ah, _come on_! She's been at it for like, three hours! Why can't she move on to something else?" Huh. Three hours? Time just doesn't seem to pass when you're one with your own spirit. I had never really thought about using meditation as a means of combatting anxiety in the past, but now it really seemed like a wasted opportunity. While my chakra system was still lagging behind, at least it was becoming easier to function among large quantities of people. Now, did I go out of my way to strike up conversations with strangers? Fuck no. Maybe in the next life.

"Developing her chakra pathways and tenketsu is top priority right now, Obito! She doesn't need any distractions." _Ooh_ , he was raising his voice, now. Kakashi and Itachi, I had found, were my favorite mediation buddies. Rin and I couldn't be in the same room with one another without finding something to giggle at, likewise with Obito and Shisui. Kushina wasn't really about that Zen life; her boyfriend was, but wasn't really available. Itachi was busy training with Fugaku, Shisui and his father, Kyo, or else he'd be here, too.

Speaking of the two much older Uchiha men, they were certified BFFs. It was actually adorable, if not something unexpected. I guess I had just assumed that Fugaku was soulless and incapable of loving anyone. Hell, he probably loved Kyo more than his wife and child, frankly. And Kyo? As big of a dork as his son.

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei, I think I'm gonna wrap it up for today. Sitting here this long is making my butt hurt." Cue Kakashi Hatake's notorious eye roll. I wasn't sure if it was because I still insisted on calling him Kakashi-sensei, or if it was because I was letting Obito sway my life decisions. Probably both. "I can sort of feel my chakra, now, I think. That's progress."

"Are you sure it's not just gas like it was last time?" Oh, and another thing about Obito? He knew exactly what to say to make me a blushing, sputtering mess. One of the first times I had thought I could _really_ feel the chakra burn in my core, it ended up just being a weird stomach ache that resulted in me farting in front of everyone. He was the only one that wouldn't let me live it down, even two years later.

"One of these days, I'm going to strangle you in your sleep." He flicked my nose, and ground his fist into the top of my head after I successfully bit his finger.

"I'll be more scared of ya after you master the leaf exercise, Hanami-chan." Yes, I still couldn't stick a fucking leaf to my hand with chakra, but you know what I could do? Trigonometry. And that's a hell of lot more than can be said about Obito, considering he couldn't even compute basic algebra. But enough of that, for now.

If you're wondering how things have been in the three years we skipped over, I'll break it down for you; Rins' a chūnin now, as well as Obito. Minato and Kushina wed, and lived in one of the nicest homes in the village that wasn't a part of a clan compound. According to Fugaku, my chakra system ran throughout my body like "barely there threads", but my actual reserve of chakra was the size it should be for my age. Tenketsu were going strong, but I still couldn't channel even the most minuscule amount of chakra to my hands or feet. I refused to become discouraged. At this point, all I really wanted to accomplish was the ability to mold chakra. After that, I just planned on going to civilian school. Not that I wanted to whatsoever, but I knew that no matter how smart everyone thought I was, they weren't going to let a bitch live without a Konoha education.

As far as the Uchiha brats go, I'll fill you in on that, too. Shisui grew a big brother complex like a fungus, and now treated me with as much care as he did Itachi. In a weird way, he reminded me greatly of my own older brother, so I didn't mind it much. Itachi was as Itachi as ever. My friendship with him was odd, but not in a bad way. We mainly communicated through endless games of Hanafuda variants and shogi, and when we did talk, it was usually about things that most five year olds don't typically discuss. Shisui had entered the academy the year prior, so the time we spent alone together had become more and more frequent. I liked him, albeit if not still a tad cautiously. Same goes for his much rowdier counterpart.

"You're still stuck on the leaf exercise?" It was the Monday after that, and I had decided to invade the Uchiha compound like I usually did at this hour if he wasn't already at my place. Itachi had long since mastered it, and was currently on tree walking. He and Shisui both had taken on the title of "Pride of the Uchiha Clan", due to the fact they had the tendency to outshine literally everyone. They were expected to, considering that Itachi was the clan heir and Shisui was the great-grandson of the late and great Kagami Uchiha. He didn't let you forget it, either.

"Yeah." I moved my rook to the square next to it, my thoughts anywhere but our current game of shogi. He'd end up beating me this round, anyway. "I'll get there, don't worry."

"I don't doubt that you can, but if you need my help, I'm here for you." I had stopped accepting assistance from either of the Uchiha boys, as the last time we did any sort of training together I got my two front teeth punched out of my skull, curtesy of Shisui. The gap that they left is still there, unfortunately. I really am an unfortunate looking child.

"Yeah, I think I'll pass. You remember the last time I accepted help from an Uchiha, right?" A slight redness spread over his cheeks, and he frowned pointedly at me. Granted, it totally wasn't his fault, but I wasn't taking any risks. I giggled and swiftly reached over to flick his nose, but he caught my finger with ease.

"Ah, come on, Itachi-chan, don't be upset." I also _relished_ the fact that he was the youngest in our little misfit triad, even if he was the second tallest. It still granted me the right to throw "-chan" on the end of his name whenever I deemed it necessary, and I wasn't giving up that birthright any time in the near future. Maybe when he graduated from teenager to grown man, but probably not even then.

"How many times do we have to apologize for that?" he felt a lot worse than Shisui about it; the older boy took the opportunity to throw food or other small objects into the gap of my missing teeth anytime I had my mouth open. It was like his new favorite pass time. He was even keeping score. "And don't call me that. You're only four months older than me, you know." Admittedly, I only did it because he was goddamn _precious_ when he was angry, but I wouldn't tell him that. He tended to brood when flustered, and brooding Itachi wasn't a fun Itachi. A cute one, maybe.

"Fine, fine. I'll cut it out… for now." I was grinning ear to ear, and he spared me a glare and was smiling, too. I didn't tease him often, because Shisui really did enough of that for the both of us, so he took it in stride.

"Itachi, Hanami." Itachi stood immediately at the sound of his father's voice, so I did, too. My feelings for Fugaku were all over the place. One minute, his dry and to the point way of speaking made me laugh, the next minute I was fuming from how hard he pushed his son towards utmost excellence. Granted, it wasn't as if Itachi couldn't handle it, but the kid hardly had time to be, well, a kid.

"Yes, otousan?" Fugaku stood tall and imposing, still clad in his military police uniform. You could probably bludgeon someone to death with the heavy tension that clung to the air.

"Do I need to leave, Fugaku-sama?" To be honest, if it wasn't completely rude, I would've just jumped out of the open window and run as far away from the Uchiha district as fast as possible. I tended to crack under his stern gaze, and was proud of myself that I hadn't yet.

"Going so soon? Ah, and I thought you'd he excited to see me." Minato emerged from the shadows and stood next to Fugaku, his expression downcast in fake hurt.

" _Minato_!" I ran and threw my arms around his legs, and he stooped down to pull me into a hug. Minato had taken on the position of "Dad-chan", even if he wasn't aware of that. I loved him like I loved Kushina, as they both settled into impromptu parents for their little herd of orphans. Kushina liked to call it practice for when they started popping out kids of their own, much to the blushing embarrassment of her goofy boyfriend. Which, if I had done the calculations correctly, I was five now, the war was reaching a breaking point, and it wouldn't be long until Kushina announced her pregnancy. I couldn't _wait_ to see his face.

"Heh, now that's better. But, we can have a proper greeting later. There's something we need to talk to you two about." Right then, Kushina helped Mikoto meander her way into the sitting room. It was March, and she was about four months away from shooting out her second little Uchiha. She was already showing quite heavily, and this pregnancy was proving to bear a lot of health issues. She was sick often, and stayed bedridden more than what she would like. I thought of it as an omen of how shitty Sasuke was going to wind up being, but I held my tongue on that.

I stepped backwards until I was next to Itachi again. I was wondering where my sister was at a time like this, where it seemed like something monumental was about to be discussed. But I knew that her work at the hospital was probably more dire than whatever this was going to end up being. Or at least, I hoped.

"I'm sure you're both aware that the next school year is approaching." One thing I _did_ really appreciate about Fugaku was that he didn't find the need to dumb things down for us. But what I didn't like, was the sudden knot of anxiety that had settled its way into my gut. "There is an upcoming exam for advanced placement to be taken next month. Itachi, you will be participating." It wasn't a, "would you like to take the test, Itachi?" but a demand that he was going to whether he wanted to or not. But I didn't really expect anything less from Sergeant Dad.

"Ok, now that's where we step in." Kushina stood tall next to Minato, her hand remaining on Mikoto's shoulder.

"We've talked it over with Rin, and we were wondering if you would also like to take the exam, Hanami-chan." My jaw fell slack, but I quickly shut my mouth with a click. I knew that they thought that I had been training so insistently because I was hoping to become a ninja, and I had never really said otherwise. I didn't have nearly the experience with taijutsu or the muscle that Itachi and Shisui had, and obviously I couldn't perform jutsu or genjutsu, no matter how elementary. Why they thought this was a good idea was completely over my head.

"Um…" how did I put this? "I never really planned on becoming a ninja." Expressions ranging from astonishment to slight displeasure formed on the adult's faces. Itachi even appeared to be confused.

"Then why have you been training if you didn't plan on attending the academy?" It was Kushina, and it was obvious she was trying to hide her disappointment. I shrunk back and averted my eyes to the ground.

"When I was born, my parents said I'd never be able to mold chakra. I just wanted to prove them wrong, I guess. But I can't even mold chakra yet. And it's not like I've worked on taijutsu, or anything." The few times I had attempted taijutsu, I ended up on the ground and in pain from head to toe, and promptly gave up once I had my teeth sucker punched out of my mouth. _Yeah_ , won't be going there again.

"Well, wouldn't you _really_ be showing them if you went to the academy, and was placed in an advanced class?" She had her hands on my shoulders now, gently massaging the knots that were hidden under my skin. Yes, it would probably make them throw a tantrum from beyond the grave, but that didn't make me any more inclined to attend the academy. "It's just that you're so smart and show so much potential, Hanami-chan. We wanted to register you earlier, but Rin was against it." I let her words settle in. They had wanted to register me early? But _why_? It wasn't like I was a baby genius, or anything… _oh_. Except, they probably thought that I was.

I was completely done with the dribbling baby shtick as soon as I realized I was in fact, a dribbling baby. I said my first word when I was five months old, had learned to walk by myself completely by the time I was a year, and had begun reading books six months after that. I was determined to regain some kind of normalcy in my life, that I hadn't even realized how deep of a hole I was digging myself. The ninja world had a bad habit of treating "geniuses" like some sort of prize, a showcase to display to rivaling villages. I mean, look at Kakashi, or Itachi, even. My eyes darted around the room, but I found myself unable to reply.

"You don't have to make a decision right now, Hanami-chan. But we just want you to know that we think you'd make a wonderful ninja." Minato's eyes glowed with the sort of reassuring warmth that on any other day would've made me melt, but the uncertainty that clouded over my mind wouldn't allow it.

"…Can I go see Rin, please?" She was probably on break right now, and all I wanted at the moment was to hear the sound of her voice. And possibly ask why in the _fuck_ she had agreed to this, maybe. "I'll think about it, though. I promise." It was a promise I'd be breaking, unfortunately. I didn't want to be a ninja, or go to ninja school, or get crushed to death by an enemy's overzealous earth jutsu. I wasn't confined to any traditional clan values like Itachi. I had a choice, and it was laid clearly out in front of me like a winding path leading directly into a life free of conflict. For the most part, at least.

"Of course, Hanami. Do you want one of us to walk you?" I really didn't, but I wasn't given the chance to express that. Itachi interrupted me before the words even left my lips.

"Would it be alright if I went with her, otousan, okaasan?" They both nodded their approval, and the look he was giving me dared me to object. I wasn't sure if Itachi was upset with me, or just incapable of understanding my reasoning behind my decision. Whichever it may be, I knew as soon as we shut the door behind us, I'd be bombarded with questions. And I was completely right.

"Why don't you want to become a ninja?" My feet were set in a quicker pace than his at first, but he quickly caught up to me and was now jogging at my side. My muscles had started to ache, so I slowed down to catch my breath and my bearings.

"Well, why do you?" We both stopped in our ascent, and I struggled to steady my breathing. I had caught him off guard; his brows furrowed, confusion settling over his demeanor like he had never been asked that question before. And truthfully, he more than likely had not. To think, the heir to the Uchiha clan deciding against becoming a shinobi? Preposterous. _Positively_ ludicrous, _absolutely_ unheard of, _completely_ and _entirely_ ridiculous. I was just counting myself lucky that I hadn't been born to a clan, or else we'd be in the same boat.

"I want to protect the village and my comrades." Completely noble and completely predictable. Itachi was only four, three months away from turning five. I knew that he hadn't completely grasped what it truly meant to be a ninja. He'd kill, and he'd fight, and he'd make earth shattering sacrifices. Where was the glory in that? What did protecting your comrades matter when you wind up dead yourself? I won't say it amounted to nothing, but I also wouldn't say it was worth it, either.

"You're going to kill people, you know." My voice was hushed, like I was telling him a secret that no one else was allowed to hear. I could hardly kill a fly, let alone another person. Confrontation was so far out of the realm of who I was as a person that I had no idea how I would react to being thrown into that type of situation.

"I… I _know_ that." His eyes turned downcast, his lips pursed. Itachi was the embodiment of the word pacifist. He was the one that demolished arguments, reassured others of their success and generally was just the last person that should be covered head to toe in someone else's blood. "But if it meant protecting the ones that I love most, then I would live with it." He regained his strong posture and spoke with a steady conviction. I sighed.

"Unfortunately, I'm not _nearly_ as brave as you are, Itachi." I bit my lip. The next few words had the chance of disappointing him, but sugar coating it wouldn't benefit me at all, either. "I don't want to be a ninja, because I don't want to die. And it doesn't seem like it's worth the risk." I nudged him gently. "Now, it's always nice to have deep conversations with you, Itachi, but Rin's break is probably almost over, and I'd really like to see her now." I grabbed his hand and turned on my heel, and he followed behind me wordlessly. We passed the academy as a class of students had just been let out for recess. I spared it a single glance, but refused to linger.

"…would it be worth it for Rin?" I paused in front of the hospital doors. That… that cut _deep_. He hadn't said it to antagonize me, I was sure. It was a simple question that I instantly knew the answer to. Yes, it would be worth it for her. If I was able, I'd protect her with every ounce of will in my being, and she'd do the same. Even if the storm to come passes without incident, I had no idea what was to come for her afterwards. That scared me, but what scared me even more was the impending possibility of her demise. I didn't know how I would cope should it happen, and I didn't like thinking about it. So I said nothing, but I had a feeling he already knew my answer.

" _Whoa_ …" The hospital was in absolute pandemonium.

Bodies were being hauled across the room on stretchers, ninja were slumped in chairs waiting to be treated, and nurses and medic nin were scurrying around like they had a million different things that had to be attended to that very second. Emi had quit her job a few years ago, and was replaced by a middle aged woman called Ayako. She had reached the point in her life where nothing ever seemed to faze her, and had a thing about openly discussing her sexual history no matter the audience. It was also like she never ran out of hard candy and was always willing to share, so I liked her. I kept ahold of Itachi's wrist and guided him through the maze of frantic medics and stopped at the front desk. Ayako leaned over to peer down at us, her cleavage nearly spilling out of her blouse.

"Oh, hello, Hanami-chan. Who's your friend? He's awfully cute." Itachi blinked owlishly at her beaming grin. She could be pretty overwhelming.

"Is Rin still on break?" Ayako held up her finger and pulled out a chart, her eyes quickly skimming over it.

"Why yes, she is. If I'm not mistaken, she's in break room one. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you." I nodded my thanks and walked hand in hand with Itachi towards our destination. A medic fresh out of surgery bumped into us, a shiny splatter of blood covering the front of her shirt, jawline and gloved hands. Itachi stared up at her in horror, his eyes still transfixed on where she had been standing long after she walked away.

"Itachi? Are you alright?" He shook his mind free of the image that had been haunting him and nodded. The look in his eye remained distant and fearful, but I said nothing of it. I squeezed his hand gently and pushed the door to the break room open. Rin had her legs crossed, and was quietly reading a book to herself. She smiled when she saw us, and beckoned us to join her.

"Hey, you two. What brings you here?" She rubbed some of the drowsiness from her eyes, her smile bright despite the fact she barely had any sleep the night before. She shut her book and sat it on the table, folding her hands in her lap.

"Minato and Kushina talked to me about the advanced placement exam." Her eyes widened a fraction. She chuckled before running her hand along the length of her face, then combing her hair out of her line of vision.

"Oh, _that_ … what did you say?"

"Well, I said I'd think about it, but I didn't really mean it." She laughed again, like that was exactly what she had been expecting. She patted her hand on the open seats next to her, and I climbed into the spot on her right. Shortly after, Itachi followed. He was still dazed, like he was unable to erase the visual of the medic's blood stained clothing and skin from his mind. I pulled him close to me in hopes that the contact might comfort him, but it didn't seem to work.

"I told them that they could try to convince you, but you probably wouldn't go through with it. Sometimes, Kushina really doesn't listen." As if that wasn't the most obvious thing in the world. As soon as our conversation had started, a frantic medic threw the door open wide, a hand print of blood smeared over his front. His eyes were startlingly wide, his face completely stricken with panic.

"Rin-san! We need your help! A whole platoon of shinobi were just transported in, and it's ugly." Her back straightened, and she spared us one last look before standing.

" _Stay here, you two."_ Without reason to argue, I remained seated. Itachi looked like he had seen a ghost. I tried shaking him, but his eyes remained large and unblinking.

"Itachi! Itachi, snap out of it!" He pushed past me and was headed straight for the door. I extended my arm and grabbed ahold of his wrist, but he didn't stop. "Itachi, sis said not to go out there! Hey, are you even listening to me?" I wrapped my arm around his shoulder to try and sedate him, but he shook me off with minimal effort. Really, it would probably do me some good to develop some upper body strength.

He stood utterly still in the hallway, his arms limp at his sides. All around him, people were scurrying back in forth in every direction. He was nearly ran over by a hospital bed that was being pushed at top speed down the hallway before I yanked him back, the man inhabiting it moaning in pain. The scent of singed flesh clung to the walls of my nostrils and lungs, causing me to cough violently. The entire front of the hospital was piled up with ninja in varying degrees of devastation, each and every one of them covered in dark, inky blood. Whether it was their own, an enemy's or a mixture of both was unclear. I retched, the heat from my stomach acid scorching the back of my throat.

"Itachi… _Itachi_ , come _on_." I tugged on his arm urgently, and finally, he complied. We sat back down on the bench, the palm of his hands roughly digging into his eyes. He pulled his knees to his chin and covered his face with his arms. I hadn't ever had to deal with someone else completely shutting down, but I knew from my own experiences how to handle things. I wrapped myself around him and started rubbing circles in between his shoulder blades, his breathing sharp and fluctuant.

"Shhh, _shhh_ … it's alright, Itachi. I'm here." He latched his arms around me in a vice grip. His body was wracked with tremors for well over an hour, and I let him cling to me the entire time. I brushed some of his bangs away from his perspiring forehead and wiped the sweat on my pant leg. I was sure by now that his parents were probably panicking, as well as my pseudo ones. Which was kind of a funny thought, as they both were actually only two years older than I was.

"Itachi! Hanami, are you in here?" Kushina unabashedly kicked the door in, her hand wrapped around Mikoto's as she guided her into the room. The pregnant woman waddled behind her rambunctious best friend with her hand wrapped under her distended belly. "We've been looking all over for… hey, what's wrong?" Itachi loosened his hold on me and turned his head to look at them. At the sight of his mother, he swiftly got to his feet and scampered to her side.

"Okaasan, you're supposed to be staying off your feet!" She waved her hand dismissively, and was helped into a chair by Kushina and her worry wart of a son. The red headed women stepped over to me and crouched down, both of her hands falling on my knees.

"What happened, Hanami-chan?" She tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. I guess she thought I needed to be consoled as much as Itachi did. I was just… _numb_.

"Itachi saw a lot of blood. I think he's traumatized." I didn't feel like going into too much detail, so I kept things short and sweet. She sank her teeth into her lip and squeezed my knee, an attempt at a comforting gesture.

"Are you alright, Hanami?" My hand massaged the area on my chest that Itachi had smothered his face into; directly over my heart. I knotted some of my shirt into my fist. It was March tenth, exactly seven months before Naruto's birth. How long was it until the Kannabi bridge mission? How much longer until Rin was kidnapped and forced to become the host for the Sanbi? I had thought that five years was enough time, but it wasn't. This war was nearing its end, and heading head first through my sister's chest. What the fuck was I going to do now?

"Hanami? Are you listening to me?"

My window for opportunity was rapidly being torn from my grasp, and my time for action was now. I just wasn't sure what that action was going to be.

•

 **Rin**

I had filled out the paperwork for temporary resignation on Hanami's fifth birthday. I didn't tell her, and haven't still. It was a resolve I had come to from many nights spent awake, both at home and on away missions. I had kept it a secret from everyone except for sensei, who had helped me complete the written portion and was in the process of having the paperwork pushed through as quickly as possible.

I was getting scared. Terrified, even. I had thought that after a while, things would be falling into place and into our favor, but I was horribly mistaken. Things were getting worse, more and more people were dying, and I was determined not to be one of them.

It's not like I don't enjoy being a ninja; I've worked my entire life to become one. But my priorities are on a whole different plane, now. I had already missed out on so much of Hanami's life, and I didn't want to be absent a second more of it. And what would happen to her, if I ended up dead? Would sensei and Kushina-san adopt her? They'd make wonderful parents, but _I_ wanted to be the one to watch and help her grow as a person. I didn't want someone else doing my job for me. And, I really, _really_ didn't want to die. I honestly don't think I can stress that enough.

"Is something wrong with the curry, Hanami-chan?" She had been picking at her food the minute I sat her bowl in front of her. It was odd, because pork curry was one of her absolute favorites. She'd been acting off since we had gotten home from the hospital, and with good reason. I really wished they hadn't even of come, but there was no undoing things now. I was worried about Itachi-kun, as well. I've never seen him that frightened in the entire time I had known him.

"Yeah, sis, it's good…" It should be, considering Kushina was the one that made it. My skills in the kitchen were, and completely limited to; turning on the rice cooker, steaming vegetables, and putting fish in the broiler with a ninety percent chance in my favor that I probably wouldn't end up putting out a fire.

When Hanami wanted to get down to business, she'd do one of three things, or all of them together. One, she'd furrow her brow like she was asked "What is the meaning of life?" Two, she would scratch behind her ear. Three, she'd bite her lip, sometimes for so long you'd think she was close to drawing blood. Today, it was one and three. I was sure we were headed towards some kind of revelation, confession, or she'd ask a favor she was putting on dire, astronomical levels.

"…The war is getting worse." that, honestly, was an understatement on epic proportions. "And I know chūnin teams are being sent on higher risk missions, and could potentially be called into battle." I was concerned, now. I fidgeted in my seat. She was probably anxious about the same things that I was.

" _And_ … and I don't want you to die, Rin." Yep. Sisterly intuition never fails. Her eyes were glossing over, but any tears that may have fallen were blinked into submission.

"I'm not going to _die_ , Hanami-"

"But you don't know that!" The startling spike in her voice made me jump and nearly spill my tea. Instead of tears, her eyes were on fire with a mixture of anger, sadness and fear. "Something bad is going to happen, I just know it!"

"Hanami, I'll be fine!"

"No, you fucking _won't_!"

My hand stung from the impact of being slapped across her cheek. I hadn't ever slapped her before, and she was just as shocked as I was. My hands covered my mouth as she gingerly touched the reddened skin. She sat back down in her chair slowly, almost like she still hadn't processed what had just transpired. Truthfully, I really hadn't, either.

"Hanami, I'm _so_ sorry, just…just _listen_ , ok?" her bottom lip quivered. "I wasn't going to tell you until it was finalized, but I applied for temporary leave." the light in her eyes was restored with each word. "I'll be completely taken off of the mission roster for an indeterminate amount of time, soon, after one last mission. I won't be deployed for any field work, and I'll be stationed at the hospital for the remainder of the war. I'll be getting paid for my medical work, so that'll make up for my lack of a pay check from completed missions. I'm going to be _ok_ , Hanami."

Have you ever been tackled out of a chair and into a bear hug by a small child? No? Well, it's awesome. The tension of the room was obliterated by our laughter. We rolled around on the floor for longer than what was sanitary, but for once, I wasn't worried about germs. She collapsed at my side, a few giggles still bubbling out of her. She really didn't laugh often enough. It was one of my favorite sounds.

"You're going to be _ok_." Now that was the revelation part I had mentioned. Then, something settled into her features, like something new and awful had just dawned on her.

"Hanami-chan?" She didn't respond. She ran her hands over her face, and after she was done with that, slapped her forehead like she was an idiot for forgetting something massively important. I repeated myself, but got the same response, which was complete silence.

I had never seen someone go from overwhelmingly happy to soul crushingly devastated in such a short amount of time. She had always walked around like she had the weight of the world piled onto her shoulders, but this was like all of that amounting worry had peeked and she was being crushed by it. In the back of my mind, I thought that I might know what was wrong, but said nothing of it.

•

 _ **(I honestly don't know if people even read the author's notes they usually have some important stuff in them but oh well)**_

… _ **aaaand**_ **welcome back!**

 **Ok, so I just wanted to cover a few things. No, I have no idea if Shisui canonically has an established father or not, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't so yes; Kyo is an OC. He plays a** _ **very**_ _ **huge**_ **role later on the story, though. I don't think I can stress "HUGE" enough, really.**

 **Secondly, just about this chapter as a whole; I remembered reading that Itachi began to value peace at all costs because he became traumatized by the Third Shinobi World War, and I've never really read anyone cover that yet, so I was itching to include it. This as well will play a pretty major role in the chapters to come. And bonus points if you were able to detect the foreshadowing added in Rin's POV. Though, I think I made it pretty obvious. But more on that in the next update.**

 **Also, now a fairly important bit of info; I changed the title to "New Perspective" because I'm the author and I can. I put in the description "Formerly "Falling through the Roof'" so no one is confused, so there's that.**

 **Fun Fact of the Day: Hanami's appearance before her death was inspired by one of my aunts. She isn't Irish Catholic, but she's the cutest ginger that I know. I was drawing her portrait one day and it just kinda turned into someone else, so I took it and made an OC out of it.**


	12. Chapter Eleven:

•

 **Chapter Eleven: Wherein the war rages on, Rin**

 **shares a secret and Minato plays dad.**

•

 **"I was getting scared. Terrified, even. I had thought**

 **that after a while, things would be falling into place**

 **and into our favor, but I was horribly mistaken.**

 **Things were getting worse, more and more people**

 **were dying, and I was determined not to be one of**

 **them."**

 **Hanami**

Fucking _Obito_.

Obito _mother fucking, goddamn_ Uchiha.

Obito pitiful ninja, hopeless romantic _fucking_ Uchiha. _Fucking_ Obito, who was soon to be crushed by a bombardment of heavy ass boulders. Obito Uchiha, that I hadn't given a second thought to the fate of since he had transitioned from "Scary Genocide Guy" to "Fluffy Teddy of a Ninja plus Older Brother". Obito Uchiha, the guy that had started a fourth world war.

Granted, if Rin probably wasn't going to be up for grabs, then Obito wouldn't see her die horribly at the hand of his new best friend, therefore wouldn't go bat shit insane. Sure, that was great and all, but if things went like they had, he'd still be getting crushed basically to death by a rock. He'd still spend months being filled with bad mojo by a crusty, decrepit Madara Uchiha, and he'd still bare physical signs of his near death experience. And that didn't bode well with me. With saying this, I should also establish that I was aware of several factors that really prevented me from doing a damn thing about it.

Firstly, I am five years old. I'm not a trusted shinobi, not a confidant of the Hidden Leaf, not someone that could say anything of value to any adult because of my lack of experience and stature. And I was not pulling the whole "oracle" thing. Not because it would make me feel less special or something, but because I didn't want anyone else to have to be bothered with the knowledge of countless deaths. Really, no one should have to deal with something like that ever, but I had learned rather quickly that the Universe did not give a fuck about what was fair and what clearly was not.

Obito, in all of his goofy general goodness and casually heroic deeds, didn't really deserve this. But as I've said, what was there that I could really do about it? Go up to him and say, "Hey bro, just wanted to let ya know you're gonna awaken your Sharingan soon, then have half of your body crushed by a rock. But it'll all probably work out, because my sister isn't going to die. Probably. Fingers crossed." No. Not happening. If I was going to do this, it had to be as inconspicuous as was achievable by someone who is usually painfully obvious.

I had overheard Kushina and Mikoto chatting about Kakashi's promotion to jōnin the week before, so I had a good idea when the Kannabi bridge mission was going to take place. By my calculations, I probably had a few days, maybe a week. That gave me time to sort out my thoughts and concoct a plan. I had always been more of a tactical thinker, so I felt like I could concisely come to a conclusion in a fairly reasonable amount of time. Hell, maybe I wouldn't even need a whole week.

"No, no… _goddammit_." …Except that deduction was wrong. I had borrowed some money from my not-mom (by which I mean Kushina, if that wasn't already blatant), and with it bought a few spiral notebooks. So far, all I had really accomplished in two days was a mound of wadded up paper and crushed ambitions. Nothing, nada, absolutely fucking _zip_. No ideas whatsoever. They all lead to me declaring the fact that I know things that I should not, and that was _not_ something I was down for, at all. Really, after all of this frustration, I probably should've just said " _Screw it_!" and done exactly what I set out not to do. But I desperately didn't want any of them to look at me any differently, and if I professed that I knew the fate of every single last one of them, that would change my relationship with everyone who knew. I was going to avoid that for as long as I am able.

It's midday by the time I give up. Not because I wanted to, but because if I try writing anything else, my fingers were going to start a mutiny. I didn't have any place to hide the notebooks around the house without Rin knowing that something was up, so I had been keeping them in my backpack along with my current sewing endeavors. I was stuck at the hospital while Rin was elbow deep in half dead shinobi, and had been placed in one of the break areas with a box of crowns and a plate of onigri, which was long gone. Despite my hesitancies to come back here after what had happened with Itachi still a fresh wound on my mind, I decided to suck it up despite my reservations so Minato and Kushina could have some _alone time_ together. I packed up my things and peered my head around the door. For once, the waiting room was fairly free of injuries and imminent death.

"Hey Ayako, can you remember to tell sis that I went to hang out with Itachi and Shisui?" She had her nose buried in the latest issue of _Girl x Girl Euphoria_ , which from what I read without her knowledge was actually not that bad. I did better back in the day, but that was neither here nor there. She nodded, and without tearing her eyes away from her beloved lesbo smut, quickly jotted my request down on a tab of sticky notes. One day, she and Kakashi were going to be best friends.

At this time of day, Shisui would've just been let out from school, and he was probably training with Itachi. Not wanting to get punched in the face wasn't really my only reason for not sparring with them; I still held onto a bit of guilt that I sometimes got in the way of their friendship. That may sound stupid, but I desperately wanted to not interfere with their dynamic more than what was necessary. I considered myself a footnote, and I intended on remaining as such.

I ducked behind back alleys and behind buildings to get to my destination. Not only was it faster this way, but there were too many people out and about at this hour. Just because I could exist in that kind of situation didn't mean I wouldn't avoid it if I could. You'd think that twenty two years of life experience would lessen the impact other humans had on my psyche, but you'd be thinking wrong.

Itachi had taken to sparring in one of the training grounds since Mikoto had become pregnant. They tended to cause quite the ruckus, and he was adamant on not interfering with her rest. Truly, he was a good egg. As I neared closer and closer to the training ground that was their usual haunt, my steps become more apprehensive. I hadn't spoken to Itachi in three days. Not really for any other reason than he hadn't come to my house nor did his mother call and ask if I would like to come to theirs. I felt pretty awful about what had happened. If he hadn't of gone with me, he wouldn't of had to see any of that. I tried to swallow down my guilt several times, each attempt completely unsuccessful.

Like I had expected, they were sparring in the training ground that they usually did. It was the type of brawl where they both pulled out all the stops; shuriken, kunai and preliminary level jutsu were being thrown back and forth. Normally, a nearly five and a seven year old wouldn't be allowed near pointy things, but this is ninja land. Shisui had just started getting the hang of what would one day be his renowned body flicker, and he was using it anywhere it was appropriate. Or, anywhere he felt like it, really.

" _Yo_!" Itachi turned to me first, and even though his eyes were no longer on his opponent, he was still able to easily deflect an incoming kick. Shisui grumbled from his place on the dirt, but stopped once he noticed they now had company. He sprang to his feet and sprinted to where I was, and before I knew it, I was wrapped in a tight, sweaty embrace.

"Hanami-chan!" he spun our bodies like a merry-go-round, and only relinquished his hold on me when I threatened to vomit on his shirt. When Shisui came around to actually _enjoying_ my presence, I suddenly found myself with a curly haired guard dog that was constantly looking for physical reassurance. I was fine with it. Cuddles were my favorite past time. That said, I wasn't down for having a sweaty armpit in my face. I tried to pull away when he brought my head close to his again, but paused at the worried look he was giving me. "Hey, do you know what's wrong with Itachi? He's been actin' funny for a few days, and he won't tell me what's up." So I had been right. What had happened at the hospital _had_ mentally scarred him, and I wasn't sure how to fix it. Or if I should even try or if I even could. I was really starting to question my friendship abilities.

"Hanami-chan." Itachi joined us, the distant look in his eyes from the day I had last seen him still lingering. "Sorry I haven't been over in a few days. I've been sick."

"That's _such_ a lie, Itachi! You just wouldn't leave your room all day!" Subtlety was _not_ Shisui Uchiha's forte. A bright red flush engulfed the younger boy's cheeks. Physically, he was perfectly well. Mentally on the other hand, the same could not be said. But I knew that if he hadn't told Shisui already, he either didn't plan on it or didn't know how. I was going to keep it just between us for now, so I played along in his favor.

"I don't know about that, Shisui. He looks a little pale. A bit clammy, too." I pressed the palm of my hand to his forehead. "Are you _sure_ you're alright, Itachi?" I hoped I was able to convey my double meaning, and felt like I was successful by the look in his eyes and the slight nod of his head. With my hand still planted to his forehead, I pushed his bangs away from his face and gently ruffled his hair.

"Fine, _fine_. Hey, you guys wanna go get some food? Itachi, we can get dango, if it would make you feel better. I'll pay." Said Shisui, in a sing-song voice. Sometimes, his one track mindedness could be aggravating, but I think both Itachi and I were thankful for it this once.

The walk there was quiet, save for Shisui's cheerful whistling. We arrived at the dango stand and received our food, and to fill the dull silence that had washed over us, I chattered with Shisui about anything and everything- the weather, how his school was going, how his body flicker was coming along. Itachi occasionally interjected with short sentences or one word replies. From under the table, I reached over and intwined my fingers with his. I squeezed his hand tightly, and he exhaled a long breath. Shisui eyed us from his place on the opposite side of the table, his lips set in a tight, worried frown. He tentatively slid his leftover dango over to Itachi. He stared at it for a moment before smiling; some of the light gracing back over his features for what I was sure was the first time in several days.

•

 **Rin**

" _What_!? What do you mean, _resigning_?" I knew how Obito was going to take it, so I wasn't all that surprised that he nearly choked on his lunch when I broke the news. He had joined me on my break, bringing with him three bento boxes (the left over one for Hanami, who had wandered off by herself to fetch her Uchiha. I could scold her later, I guess) and to my utter astonishment, he had made them all by himself. Kushina had been teaching him how to cook things other than instant ramen, but I hadn't expected him to actually be _good_ at it. He even remembered how much I liked strawberries, and had packed some along with grilled fish, a side of vegetables and udon with tofu. He really was the best guy friend you could hope for.

"As in, I'll be taken off of the mission roster." He was looking at me like I had just defiled the honor of his ancestors. Actually, that probably wouldn't even cause him to be gaping at me like a fish out of water.

"What the hell for? You _love_ being a ninja!" I had also known he'd probably try and convince me to change my mind, maybe even throw in some puppy eyes and a whimper or two. He was a few seconds away from doing both of those. I sighed.

"Because, Obito, the war is getting worse, and I don't want to be on active duty in case they start deploying chūnin. And… and I'm scared. I'm really, honestly horrified." If I ever needed to unload my problems on someone, Obito was always the person that was waiting with open arms and a box of tissues. But now, as the words rested on the edge of my tongue, I was finding it hard to spill out all of the thoughts that had been fogging up my mind for so long.

"Rin…" He placed his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. I had prided myself on my ability to be brave and for him to see me like this was really weird and a little embarrassing. "You won't get hurt, Rin. I'll be there to protect you." I knew that he'd try, because he was Obito and that's just what he does. It wasn't that I thought he was physically _incapable_ of protecting me if I really needed it, but… that wasn't where my fears were lurking. It was something so much bigger than that.

"That's sweet, Obito. But…" even though I had barely eaten any of the lunch he had brought for me, I found myself no longer really having an appetite. I took a deep breath. If I didn't say this now, I may not ever. "Have you ever felt like you're going to die? And soon?" I didn't look at him. I didn't want to see the look on his face. "I know that if I don't get out now, that I'll end up dead, and there won't be anything anyone can do about it."

" _Rin_ , don't say something like that! You're not going to die!" He grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me into a proper embrace. But that wasn't the end of the word vomit I was getting ready to douse him with.

"It's not just me, Obito… it's _you_ , too." It felt like every muscle in his body had turned to stone. He lifted me from his chest, and was looking at me like he I had just explained the meaning of life and the wonders of the universe.

"What do you mean? Rin, it's gotta just be nerves." He was rubbing circles into my shoulders with his thumbs. I knew he'd try and rationalize things, and that he'd tell me everything would be ok. That we'd all make it out of this alive. But how did he know, really? I could ask myself the same thing, but this wasn't just nerves, or a hunch. It was something that I knew absolutely, like I knew Hanami's favorite food or how I knew that sensei loved Kushina. Without having it said or written in the sky in big, bold letters, it was fact.

"No. No, Obito, it's not." I think I was feeling like Hanami had, that night when we had sat down for dinner and ended up fighting, then laughing hysterically on the floor. She knew that my resignation would mean that I'd be ok (maybe), but then something else had ripped that momentary happiness from her and I was given no explanation. But I didn't need one. I knew what she was afraid of, and I was afraid of it, too. "Can I tell you something, and you promise not to tell anyone else?"

"Of course, Rin-chan. You can tell me anything." and I knew that. If I could trust anyone with anything, it was Obito. Kurenai was good for little secrets and stories that were followed by hours of giggles. But she gave away secrets like candy, mainly, if not exclusively, to Asuma. Who would tell Genma, then from there it would fall into Ibiki's lap, then to Raido and so on and so forth until our entire graduating class and their grandmothers knew. Obito valued friendship more than anything, and valued the trust that came from being the person that people confided in. He would take this to his grave, I was positive.

"Is it bad? Does sensei need to know?"

"No, _no_ , do _not_ tell sensei. Or anyone. _Ever_. And I mean that." My voice had a sharp, threatening edge to it. He looked scared, almost like he didn't want to hear what I was about to say. But he would listen, and he wouldn't say a word of it, no matter how much it may be a burden to keep to himself. It made me feel guilty, all of a sudden. I bit my lip.

"It's alright, Rin. I won't tell anyone. Just…just get it off your chest, ok? I'm right here, and I'm listening." He was holding my hand, even though his fingers were fidgeting like they weren't sure if they should be there. The door to the break room was locked; I had checked twice. Any other time Obito had stopped by and joined me for lunch, Ayako would pop in and ask us if we needed condoms, and to let us know that she wouldn't judge us for engaging in sexual activities in the work place. Yep. Never, ever, _ever_ going there again. I took another deep breath.

"…It started when Hanami was born. Mom had been fine, and then all of a sudden, she was going into labor. Her pregnancy had gone perfectly normal up until then." I played with his fingers, noticing each tiny cut and every callous that littered his knuckles.

"That night, I had the worst nightmare I had ever had. It was this girl and her friends. They had been at a beach drinking, I think. She starting running down the beach, and I tried yelling for her, but she just _wouldn't stop running_. She climbed up this rock, and was looking down at the ocean. She was going to jump." my voice hitched painfully in my throat.

"I tried tugging at her, I begged her to stop… but she didn't. So I jumped after her, and I tried to pull her up, but… but I couldn't. It was like something was pulling her down and away from me. I woke up screaming. Dad had to stay in my room with me until I fell asleep." His arm had wrapped around me again, but the warmth of his body wasn't as comforting as I was hoping it would be.

"When I met Hanami the first time, it was so _strange_. It was like I had met her before. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I had the nightmare from before every night for a week, after that… and then it was like everywhere I went, that girl was fallowing me. It was like she was trying to tell me something. Eventually, I started talking to her in my head, and she started talking back. She was scared, and broken, and wasn't sure how she had gotten here. Then one day, she was gone. But the nightmares weren't." My body was shaking, so Obito held onto me tighter.

"I started dreaming about half of you getting crushed by a rock. You had your sharingan, and something had happened to Kakashi's eye, so you gave him yours. And… and we left you there, Obito. I'm _so_ sorry." I smeared the tears that had started to fall away with the back of my hand. Obito wiped away the rest for me, and let me bury my face into his shoulder.

"T-then, I would die after that, and… and Kakashi _killed_ me." I knew that that had set him on fire with pure rage, even if he wasn't going to show it. "But not intentionally. Something had happened to me, and I knew that I couldn't go back to the village, so I jumped into this weird jutsu that he was aiming at someone else. And… even though we thought you had died, you were there, too. You saw me die, and it awakened your Mangekyō sharingan. And it made you go crazy. Then those nightmares stopped, and it was the girl again. She was crying, and panicking, and it wouldn't stop. So I tried comforting her, and I don't know why, but I knew I needed to protect her." With every word, it felt like a ten pound weight was being taken off of my shoulders. Almost there, Rin. Just a little more.

"Then I realized, and I know this sounds so stupid and crazy, but I realized where I recognized Hanami from. The look in their eyes were the same. It was _her_. She was the girl from my dreams, I just knew it. I knew that she was scared, and confused, and that she needed me. Now that she's older, she's been acting really worried, like she knows something bad is coming, and fast. So I thought that maybe, what had happened in my nightmares had been her trying to tell me something in the beginning, like she was trying to warn me. I know now… I know now that those dreams weren't just dreams. They're _going_ to happen, Obito. And if I can prevent it, I'm going to." I looked him in his eyes for the first time in ten minutes, and they were like I had expected.; wide, confused and a bit disbelieving. But that didn't matter. He didn't have to believe, he just needed to listen.

"Rin, I… I really don't know what to say." He turned away from me, so I placed my hands on both of his cheeks and pulled him back to look at me. His face was scorching hot, and I was fairly sure he was about a second or two from fainting.

"I know that this is super confusing, and I don't expect you to believe me. Just listen a bit longer, ok?" I stroked his skin with my thumb, and any uneasiness that had been clouding over his eyes had vanished. More deep breaths. "We're going to be sent on a really, _really_ big mission soon, ok?" he nodded slowly, almost like he was in a trance. "I don't know everything that's going to happen, but… but you _have_ to just trust Kakashi, alright?" As soon as the words left my lips, he was mad and objecting to my request like it was the most absurd thing he had ever been asked. For Obito, I guess it kind of was.

"What? _No way!_ Why should I, if what you say is true? He might end up _killing_ you, Rin!" He ran his hands roughly through his hair. I yanked him back to me, this time taking both of his hands in mine and pulling them to my chest.

"If everything goes ok, then that won't happen, I'm sure of it. When we're sent on our next mission, listen to Kakashi. Work as a team. It's the only way we're all going to make out of this OK." He darted his eyes around the room and all over my face, but they never reached my eyes. Something rash and probably stupid sprang forward in my mind, and it was the kind of decision that I'll end up regretting, but it was the only thing I could think of to make him just _listen_ to me. I wasn't sure how I would feel afterwards, but I was doing it, anyway.

I grabbed at his cheeks again and pulled his face close to mine, and softly planted my lips onto his. I held him there for several seconds, each one filled with different phases of shock and eventually acceptance. He twitched at first, then nearly moved away, and finally placed his hand over the one I had on his left cheek, parting his lips ever so slightly. I pulled away, my forehead now resting on his. I had never seen him blush so furiously in the near ten years I had known him. It occurred to me then that it wasn't only my first kiss, but his, too.

" _Please_ , Obito. Please, just trust me." I felt something stir and thrash in the pit of my stomach, but it _definitely_ wasn't butterflies. Instant regret, maybe? No, no, it wasn't that dramatic. Complete and utter horror of what was to come not only from this, but from the mission to fallow? Yeah, probably. Oh, and I knew Izumo had just lost a hefty bet to Kotetsu, not that either of them would ever know it.

"Of _course_ I trust you, Rin." he leaned in for another kiss, and against my better judgment, I let him do it. It wasn't bad, because he was just as inexperienced as I was. It was more like I was completely and entirely unsure of how it made me feel. I'm not dumb. I knew, and had known for a very long time, that he liked me. I just chose to ignore it because I loved him as a friend too much to ever think about developing that bond into something more than that. Heavy, suffocating guilt wrapped itself around my heart and wrung it out until all that was left was a dry lump of what used to be something decent. This entire conversation was probably pulling his mind in a thousand different directions. God, I am an _awful_ human being.

"I trust you more than _anyone_. Rin, I…I _love_ -"

"Don't say it. Please, _please_ don't say it." My eyes stung, shutting tightly, and I forced some distance between us. I felt like with all this breathing, I wouldn't feel like I was going to pass out or die. But nope. "I know you do, Obito. Just _don't_ right now, ok?" He was justifiably hurt and more unsure than ever, but he gave into my plea and nodded. I was holding his hands in mine still, and I hadn't made up my mind on whether if it was a good idea to let them go, or stay like this so he didn't think he had done something wrong. He decided for me and slid his hands out from under mine, indecisively twitching until he rested them on his knees. I was hoping and praying that after this he wouldn't end up crying. I sure was going to.

"Ok, Rin. I'll wait. But since I made a promise to you, can you make one to me?" The uncertainty in his eyes gave away his insecurities, despite the steadiness of his voice. He stood, forcing me to peer up at him. I rose to my feet slowly. I ran my tongue over my lips, the taste of his mouth still lingering even though I wished it would disappear. They had been chapped, but sweet from the strawberries he had brought for us to eat.

"Promise me that when we get back from this mission perfectly ok, that you'll go on a date with me. _Just us._ Somewhere nice, too. And that you'll let me pay for the whole meal, and you'll let me walk you home and give you a kiss goodnight. That's all I've ever wanted. Promise me." Not even kissing him had made me blush, but I found myself heating up to a startlingly high temperature. I considered turning him down for a split second, but I wanted to strangle the life out of myself afterwards. How could I say no to him, after what I had just dumped into his lap? After telling him my deepest, darkest secret and stealing his first kiss? There was no way I could do that to him and still have the nerve to call myself his friend. I swallowed down the tight lump in my throat.

"Ok, Obito, I'll go on a date with you." That smile of his, the one that was reserved for his greatest achievements, practically cracked his face in two. "But that doesn't automatically make me your girlfriend, ok? Let me sort things through. Give me time." The grin fell and settled into a sad, knowing smile. Oh _god_. I'm so terrible.

"How long do you think that could take?" I stuttered over my answer. He smirked, but not in his cocky sort of way that he normally did. He grabbed the bento boxes, put them back in the bag he had brought them in, and took a few step backwards. The distance between us made me feel something in between relief and a longing sort of sadness. "I hope you know that I'd wait forever for you, Rin-chan. _I love you_ , and _I trust you_. More than anyone." Every word stabbed into me relentlessly, causing more pain than any kunai or self-inflicted lightning jutsu ever would.

Obito watched my face as the seconds ticked on, for once not giving away what he was thinking. He turned on his heel, taking long strides to the door. His hand hovered over the handle for an eternity before he spun around and marched back to me. He clasped his hands on the sides of my face and pulled me into another kiss, this time open mouthed and a lot more insistent than I had been prepared for. And… and holy _shit_ , he was actually _good_ at it. Maybe Asuma wasn't lying when he said he used to catch Obito in the training grounds practicing kissing on his hand. Goofy, nervous to a fault Obito Uchiha was a good kisser. Today was more than my brain could handle.

He pulled back, but placed a series of smaller, sweeter pecks on my lips and cheeks. We locked eyes again. My lips felt tired and overused, but for whatever reason, I kissed him again. And again and again, until we both flailed apart at the sound of a brisk knock at the door. It was a fellow medic named Haruhi, a girl about Kushina's age with blonde hair just as long. With a smack to my forehead, I realized I was nearly twenty minutes over my allotted break time. I stepped past Obito and unlocked the door, wiping the excess spit from my lips in an attempt to cover up the evidence. I had just made out with one of my best friends, and I liked it. Haruhi looked like she was well aware of it, too.

"I know that you two must be having _loads_ of fun in here, but we could really use your help. But I mean, if you're a bit _tied up_ right now, I'm sure we could find someone to fill in for you." I don't think I had ever wanted to crawl under a rock more than right now.

"N-no, that's perfectly fine! I'll see you later, Obito… _Obito_?" He had _literally_ jumped out of the window, as was heard when he made a not so graceful landing on the ground below. Haruhi didn't even try to cover up her snicker, and openly laughed at my reddened cheeks and complete lack of composure. I stood by the open window, watching as he skipped down the streets and did several cartwheels.

… _What have I done?_

•

 **Hanami**

I had mastered the art of putting off assignments that took eight hours until the half an hour before they were due, and that's sort of what this felt like. Except for the looming fact that if I put this off any longer, it might lead to the almost death of my sister's teammate.

I was in one of Kushina and Minato's spare bedrooms, lying on my back with the fate of Obito Uchiha hanging in the balance by a thin thread above me like some gruesome mobile. It was three o'clock in the morning, and the adults of the household had long since fallen asleep. I didn't actually stay the night here often anymore, so it felt unfamiliar and oddly cold. Rin had pulled a double shift at the hospital, for reasons unknown to me. Apparently, it wasn't even that bad in there today. Maybe she was hiding from something. Fuck if I only knew what.

"You know, growing bodies really _do_ need as much rest as possible." If I hadn't have been so completely deprived of sleep and the ability to feel actual emotions because of if, I would've jumped high enough to touch the ceiling. Minato stood in the doorway, clad in pajamas and carrying a plate of the left over moon cakes that Kushina had made for dessert and two cups of tea. I transitioned from horizontal to half vertical as he sat down, sliding the plate of pastry over to me. I happily, or as happy as I could be right now, selected one and swallowed it down within one bite. How she made these things so _fucking_ good was truly beyond me, but I was dying to know her secrets.

"I doubt that moon cakes at three in the morning are good for growing bodies either, Minato." He barked a laugh, and looked around himself cautiously as if to detect if he had woken his sleeping girlfriend. Honestly, there could be an earthquake, tsunami and total alignment of the planets all at once and she still wouldn't wake.

"Probably not, but as long as you don't tell your sister or Kushina, I think we're good." I sipped my tea with a smile. He already had the " _Don't tell mom_ " dad mentality. He was going to make a killer dad, literally and figuratively. I was really looking forward to that, beyond the total shit storm that was approaching. With that thought heavy on my mind, I couldn't stop the sigh that escaped me. Truly, it was far to melancholy for a child barely older than five. Completely understandable for the adult that I actually was, however.

"Well, what's that about? Tired of me already? _Gosh_ , Hanami-chan. I'm starting to think you don't like me anymore." I nudged him halfheartedly, but my mind, like it always seemed to be at this time of night, was elsewhere. How had the original Kannabi Bridge mission gone? It had been so long since I had really analyzed every detail. Kakashi had been in charge of his team due to the fact he was a newly jōnin, Rin gets kidnapped, him and Obito get into a blowout fight. Then, they kiss and make up, BOOM instant best friends, then tragedy strikes. Right? Yeah, that was it. Now how in the _fuck_ did I alter that sequence of events when I'll be nowhere near them? No matter whom I confronted, all of my options led to only one conclusion. I would admit to them that I knew something fucked was about to go down, "Well, how in the world do you know, Hanami-chan?", _I can see the future it's been like this forever blah blah blah_. Surely, I could just say, "Hey. Be extra careful on this mission, k thanks." but even still, why would I insist on them being even more cautious than they were already going to be? They would want to know, and I would have no other answer other than I know some pretty funky shit. God, this blows ass.

"It's nothing, Minato. Just thinking too much, I guess." He seemed like he was mulling over his thoughts as he chewed his moon cake contemplatively. When he wasn't in Yellow Flash mode, he tended to openly display himself, unlike some other more serious and stoic jōnin, ergo Fugaku. He was appraising me, but not in an intimidating or insulting way.

"Have you been thinking about the exam?" No, actually, and I didn't plan to start. I was sure that by now, Fugaku had already been drilling Itachi on what could possibly be on this exam, and he would pass with flying colors. I didn't really doubt that I would too, should I ever have a serious mental one-eighty and decided to take it. It was just I knew what advanced classes meant; I had been taking them since middle school. More work, sometimes not even more difficult than regular assignments, just more in terms of sheer magnitude. Other times, you received less work but a hundred times more brain numbing than a normal class's curriculum. And if the teacher was a _huge_ dick, then it was more work and more brain power involved to complete it. And another important thing to note is that it's _fucking ninja school_. If you didn't know why I wasn't touchin' that with any number of feet long pole, then you truly are insane.

The twelve year old weeb in me is throwing a tantrum, but the adult that I was unfortunately had a much sounder state of mind. You can die, and easily. You will have to kill people, and often. You will have to stretch normal limits of human endurance in every aspect of a ninja's daily activity. I mean, sure. It would be cool as _hell_ to pull a Jesus and walk on water or run on the side of a building, but that was pretty out of reach for me, and may always be. Even if you can mold chakra, channeling it and maintaining a steady flow to your hands and feet was a goddamn task.

And of course, it would be _sick_ to be able to perform even the most basic of jutsu. But are you seeing the reoccurring factor, here? In a place where you can bend Newton's law, I couldn't control the element of life that made that possible. Sure, I was working on it and I would get there, even if I would only be able to stick a leaf to my hand. But as I've said, I did _not_ want to die. I wasn't brave, or confident, or physically strong. The only thing I had going for me was my intellect, and while that could take a ninja pretty far, it was all I really had in my arsenal. And I wasn't sure I was really willing to work on anything else.

"No, not really. Sorry to disappoint." I downed the rest of my tea. He still had that thoughtful look about him. He eyed the notebook I had strewn across his floor, but didn't reach for it. I was sure that he was curious, but wouldn't overstep my privacy like that. And thankfully, he didn't ask about it, either.

"Well, don't let it stress you out, or anything. The last thing we want is for you to feel like you were pressured into a decision." I hadn't really felt like that at all. I was a grown ass woman, kind of. I could make my own choices without being pressured by parental figures. Who are actually only two years older than me. _God_ , that's weird as hell.

"I'm not. I was kinda just going to ignore it until it was over, anyway." Another brisk laugh. He drew one of his legs to his chest and wrapped his arm around it, the grin still plastered to his face.

"Actually, I expected that. But, we weren't lying about what we said. You'd make a great kunoichi, Hanami. You've already come so far with your chakra, and if you just worked on your strength and endurance, you'd be well on your way to becoming a ninja." It sounded nice, but I'm sure you're already aware of what I had to say about it. Sure, I could attend the academy, graduate, and just peek as a genin. That wasn't something I really had a problem with. It was what was beyond that that I just wasn't about to partake in.

"There's still a month until the exam. When it comes around, and if you truly would like to take it, we'll support you the entire way. And if you don't, then that's ok, too." He ruffled my hair, making it even more tangled and haphazard than before. He rose from his place on the floor and lingered in the doorway, his smile still wide and just as sunny as ever.

"…You know, for a five year old, you sure do walk around like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Relax a bit. It'd be good for you." He spun on his heel and walked out of the room, slowly shutting the door behind him. " _Oh_ , and get some sleep." With a huff, I collapsed back into my previous heap on the floor.

I eventually moved to the futon, but lied there for hours with sleep nowhere in sight. I thought absently that maybe things might just occur differently, during the Kannabi bridge mission. Maybe Obito and Kakashi would come to a resolve sooner. Maybe Rin would be more on her toes and not be kidnapped. Maybe, maybe, _maybe_. All of these what ifs are getting me nowhere, so I stop. There's a dull pang in my chest that refuses to be ignored, but I don't cry. I suck it up; not only my tears, but the all-consuming fear of what was to come, should I unleash my secret onto someone. And that someone would be my sister, regardless of how desperately I wanted our relationship to remain the same. I wasn't sure how I would go about it, if I even found the courage to. But I forced myself not to think about it any longer. My mind shut down, and I fell into a deep sleep filled with visions of everything I dreaded the most.

Minato was called to the Hokage's office the next morning, and returned home with news that he had just accepted a mission for his team to destroy the Kannabi Bridge. I ended up fainting in the middle of their living room.

•

 **Ok, so a few things: you may now be wondering if romance is going to be a big part of the story. The answer to that are a yes and a no. But more on that later.**

 **Now, onto the massively huge bomb that detonated this chapter: Truthfully, I'm not sure if I alluded to it enough in earlier chapters. Because of that, I'll probably end up adding some things here and there as time goes on. I hadn't originally planned on going this route when I had first begun planning for this story about a year and a half ago, but I felt like it was interesting and fit well into the plot as a whole. Rin knowing Hanami's true origins was something that came about here recently, as in over the last month when I had initially started re-writing Falling through the Roof (yes, there was a first draft of this, and it was god awful). And yes, it'll play a big part in the chapters to come as well as her and Hanami's relationship. Next chapter should be edited and posted tomorrow or the day after, and is told almost entirely from Rin's perspective, as well as the chapter after that. Chapter thirteen will include a short intermission starring Hanami, Itachi, Shisui, and someone else, who will be making their first appearance! Keep an eye out for it!**

 **Fun Fact of the Day: In the original draft, I didn't include details about how Hanami had died, and it didn't play an important role in the story at all. Oh, and she was blonde for whatever reason.**


	13. Chapter Twelve:

**Chapter Twelve: Wherein things are set in**

 **motion, the Universe is rattled and Team Minato**

 **departs for a mission.**

•

 **"Obito, in all of his goofy general goodness and**

 **casually heroic deeds, didn't really deserve this. But**

 **as I've said, what was there that I could really do**

 **about it? Go up to him and say, "Hey bro, just wanted**

 **to let ya know you're gonna awaken your Sharingan**

 **soon, then have half of your body crushed by a rock.**

 **But it'll all probably work out, because my sister isn't**

 **going to die. Probably. Fingers crossed."**

 **Rin**

I slept at the hospital that night. The ten hours after Obito had skipped himself out of the break room window were spent busying myself with anything I could get my hands on. I ended up over taxing my chakra, and after a quick and unsatisfying power nap, took to folding sheets and sorting out cleaning supplies by color. I didn't speak to anyone, nor did I look at them. Haruhi kept what she saw to herself, thankfully, and spent the rest of her shift giving me worried sidelong glances and reassuring pats on the back. It didn't help at all, though. I still felt like garbage.

I was in a break room, but far away from the one that Obito and I had been in yesterday. As cowardly and entirely pathetic as it was, I couldn't even walk past the door without wanting to punch a hole through it, so I had been avoiding it. The worst part about the whole thing was that I _liked_ it. I really, _genuinely_ liked kissing him, and him kissing me. What about him being a stand in brother? You don't make out with your siblings. My outlook on him had been completely flipped upside down, and I was struggling to turn it back to how it should be. And also struggling with if I even wanted to or not.

"Hey, Rin-chan. Are you alright?" Sensei had appeared in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest with a frown set deeply into his features. It was fairly late in the morning, but how late I wasn't really sure. My mind had stopped keeping up with the time several hours ago. I had been absorbed in a one-sided game of shogi just to keep me from banging my head on the table before he found me, so I was thankful for the distraction.

"Yeah, sensei, I'm fine. What's up?" I smoothed out the wrinkles in my dress when I stood, but there really was no saving my worn down appearance at this point. Even though I had slept for well over eleven hours, I still felt like I hadn't had a minute of rest for a week. "Is Hanami-chan ok?" Worry crept up behind me like a shadow. Oh _god_ , I hadn't even been thinking about her this entire time! I left her there without a word of what was going on. What kind of sister am I?

"Well, sort of. She fainted earlier this morning." Before I could completely break down into a panic, he continued. " _But_ , she's perfectly fine. That's one of the reasons why I'm here, actually. She's in room 502. The other reason is that I came to tell you that we're departing for a mission later today." We hadn't been on an official mission for well over two months. I had been swamped with work from the hospital, and Kakashi and sensei had mainly been doing things as a two man squad. I sat back down, and he pulled up a chair to join me.

"What for, sensei?" He turned one of the shogi pieces over in his fingers. I scanned over his face, looking for any traces of emotion, and there were none. That couldn't mean anything good.

"We've been tasked with the destruction of the Kannabi Bridge, a main pathway used for exporting goods to our enemy's forces. It runs over a lake in Kusagakure, and it's one of our last hopes for this war to fall into our favor." He momentarily shut his eyes, his head shaking with a tsk. "We can continue this conversation later, when we're all together. Hanami had just woken up when I left to find you. Would you like to go see her?" He didn't need to ask me a second time. I bolted from my seat and was out of the room as quickly as my legs could carry me. I knew these hallways better than my own reflection, so I was there within no time at all. Hanami was sitting up in bed, Kushina in a chair by her side peeling an apple.

"Rin-chan! Are you ok? You look a bit pale." Kushina sat the plate of sliced apples on the night stand and strode over to me, pulling me into a tight hug. The whole time, my eyes were glued to my sister. Her face was blank and weary, like she had been awake the entire night. Kushina took my hand and guided me over to the bed, each step feeling more unstable than the one before it. She was ok, but I still felt like I was going to collapse.

"The doctor said that she fainted because she just hadn't been getting enough sleep, and it finally caught up to her." I nodded numbly. She lingered at Hanami's bedside a while longer before clearing her throat, her hand squeezing my shoulder.

"I'll give you two some privacy, ok? I'll be right outside if you need me." She shut the door behind her with a barely audible click. Hanami pivoted her head over to finally look at me. At first, she had opened her mouth to say something, then closed it and pursed her lips. My eyes trailed down to her hands; she had bitten her nails down to the quick.

"Hey, sis." Hanami ran her hand through her hair and down the length of her face. "Sorry to worry you like this. It's nothing, really." her hand reached for mine, and our fingers were soon laced together. She tried out a smile, but it fell flat on reaching her eyes or being even the slightest bit convincing.

"Why haven't you been sleeping, Hanami?" I asked her, but in the back of my mind I already knew the answer. She seized up and bit at her lip. "You don't have to answer that yet, if you don't want to." She sighed deeply, her hand wrapping around mine tighter. There were so many things I wanted to say, to ask her. Now was as good a time that would probably ever be presented to me, so I took it, but hesitantly.

"I'm going to ask you a few things, ok? And I want you to answer them as honestly as possible. Can you do that?" Her brows darted upwards, but she nodded her head nonetheless. "Good…good." I pulled her around until she was facing me completely, her legs dangling high above the bed. I took both of her hands in my own and didn't look away from her eyes.

"Do you know when I'm going to die, Hanami?" Her eyes grew so wide I thought they might pop out of her skull. She began to fidget and her skin started to perspire. She tried pulling away from me, but I held steadily onto her hands and wouldn't allow her to turn away. "Hanami, it's alright. _Calm down_." I reached forward, cupping her cheeks in my hands and forced her eyes in my direction.

"D-don't do this. _Please_." She gripped and pulled at my wrists, but I didn't relent. Yet, she hadn't denied it. That was all the confirmation that I truly needed. I grabbed her, pulling her trembling body into a tight embrace. I moved myself from the chair to the bed, still holding her body close to mine.

"Why…why would you ask me that, Rin? Why?" I swept her bangs away from her forehead, trailing my finger tips around her eyes. Tears fell freely from them, but she didn't bother to try and hide it or wipe them away.

"Because I know what happened to you, Hanami. You drowned. I saw you." her body grew completely still. She stared at me like I had slapped her. The room was suffocatingly quiet, the only sound filling the silence being the routine ticking of the clock. "I had nightmares about it for a long time. About what happened to you, about what was going to happen to me, and to Obito. At first, I didn't know what they meant, but I think I do now." I smoothed the hair away from her face to behind her ears.

"No…no, you don't know what you're talking about." She shook her head violently and covered her eyes with her unsteady hands. I gently took her wrists and drew them away from her wet and tear stained faced. She was fumbling over her words, each second filled with a different question that she couldn't seem to find the courage to ask.

"… _how_?" Hanami had been in a dumbfounded silence for nearly ten minutes before she finally spoke, like she was on the cusp of acceptance and complete denial. I took a deep, shaky breath. Really, that was something I had asked countless times myself, but the answer was always the same. Or rather, the lack of one was. I gave her a shortened version of what I had told Obito the day before; she remained quiet the entire time.

Until of course, she started to laugh. Hysterically, I might add.

"Oh…oh my _god_." She had fallen back into the mattress and rolled around with her hands over her stomach, like she was trying to keep herself from splitting at the seams. It wasn't a joyful laugh, but a rueful and bitter one. She wiped some of the tears away from the corners of her eyes, and I positioned myself next to her on the bed. I had never actually laid down on one of these things before. It was like laying on a rock.

"This is _so_ fucking dumb." For once, I didn't reprimand her for her choice of words. "Rin, honestly, you just have no idea." When I looked at her face, I was surprised by how completely tired and almost _relieved_ she looked. "This entire thing…my entire existence here, it's so _dumb._ It's ridiculous, even. If I could tell you everything-"

"Why can't you?" She paused, her mouth still held open like she was in the middle of another tangent. I wanted to know everything; I _needed_ to know. I had tried to understand her on my own, but there had always been a hurdle separating me from the parts of her I wanted to delve into the most. But I knew that she was scared to let anyone near that side of herself, even me. No matter what was said between us, she would always be my sister. I would always love her with my entire heart. Nothing could change that.

"I…it's not simple, Rin. It's really, really complicated. It's so much more than just me dying." Nothing was ever cut and dry, and I knew that. But I'd be here forever if I had to be, and I would listen to everything she had ever wanted to say, but was too afraid to. And I would've, had Obito not entered the room that second.

"Uh, are you guys busy?" He was in regular attire, consisting of cutoff pants and a loose tank top. My heart crashed into the pit of my stomach, and I suddenly found it very hard to breathe. Oh _god,_ why now? He had the worst timing in the history of ever. To make things even worse, I couldn't help but notice how great his arms looked in short sleeves. I needed bleach for my brains, and stat. "I heard what happened to Hanami, so I brought her some curry and onigri to make her feel better." And god, he was such a sweetheart… Am I seriously gushing over him at a time like this? Where were my priorities when I desperately needed them? Most importantly, why am I gushing over _Obito?_

"T-that was sweet of you, Obito." I forced myself into a sitting position even though I wanted nothing more than to hide myself under the thin blankets and never face my problems. He offered me a smile, and I returned it as best as I could. There was a warm glow emanating from him and a healthy flush to his cheeks. He handed me and Hanami a bento box and set of chopsticks each, and waited until we had opened ours to tear the lid off of his. It smelled and looked delicious, and I hadn't even realized how starved I was until I inhaled the intoxicating aroma of the food.

"Did you make this, Obito-nii?" Hanami asked, after she had devoured her portion. Obito nodded proudly. His tongue darted out of his lips to collect a stray bit of curry that hadn't made it into his mouth, and my eyes fallowed each movement. As perceptive as she was, Hanami caught on to things before Obito did. One brow raised questioningly as she stuffed the last bite of onigri into her mouth. "Uh, did something happen between you two?" Obito blushed furiously and sputtered over an answer, while I remained deathly quiet, my cheeks quickly taking on a reddish hue.

"…I'll tell you after we get back from the mission, ok?" Obito's blush faded momentarily, and he gave me a curious look. "Sensei will tell you more about it this afternoon when it's time to leave." Hanami's muscles had seized up again, so I reached over and took her hand in mine. Obito spared us a glance, but didn't ask about the sudden shift in her expression.

"Thanks for the food, Obito. But would you mind giving us some privacy for a minute? You can come back in when we're done." Her voice was even, despite the shakiness of her hands.

"Yeah, of course. Oh, and Itachi and Mikoto should be here any minute. Kushina called basically everyone and their mother after they admitted you to the hospital." She groaned. He laughed and kissed the top of her head, and looked at me a moment before he leant forward and placed a kiss to my cheek. For once, he wasn't the one who's face was redder than a tomato. Hanami was looking at him with the most astonished expression she was capable of at the moment, and he winked at her. Oh my _god_. Please, just burry me alive.

He called his goodbyes over his shoulder, and all the both of us could manage was a halfhearted wave. Hanami was itching to ask me about what had just happened, but she shook her head free of any questions she might've had, at least for now. She took a shaky breath as she sat the bento box own on the mattress next to her.

"Rin, I…you said you know what's going to happen to Obito, right?" I nodded. "Ok, well, it happens during the Kannabi Bridge mission. So, right now." Anxiety seeped its way into my veins. I thought it would be a little bit longer than that, at least. "I'm…I'm going to tell you everything that's supposed to happen, alright?" She reached forward and grabbed my hands. They were incredibly clammy, and her fingers never stopped twitching. "I can't remember everything, but I remember what's important.

"The mission entails that the Kannabi Bridge must be destroyed. To ensure success, Kakashi is in charge of the three man squad while Minato goes off on his own and into the front lines to create a distraction. Early on, someone tries to ambush your team, and a fight ensues. It's taken care of quickly, but Kakashi gets hurt badly. You guys set up camp, and the next day you go your separate ways; Kakashi begins leading you towards the Kannabi Bridge, and Minato goes off on his own. Now here's where you come in, unfortunately." The room grew significantly more cold and uneasy. Hanami massaged her fingers into her tempels. Right now, she looked a lot older and worry worn than any five year old ever should.

"…the first ninja that ambushed you was a lone scout, and the rest of his team had been lying in wait. They attack, and you're kidnapped. I think he comes from behind you, now that I'm thinking about it. Yeah. Keep an eye out for that, please. After that, Obito and Kakashi get into a blowout fight-like, Obito actually _punches_ him. Anyway, Kakashi refused to go and rescue you, and Obito refused to leave you behind, so they split up. Kakashi eventually comes to his senses and finds Obito, and they fight off the second to last member of the squad. This is where Obito finally awakens his Sharigan, and Kakashi loses his left eye." Her voice cracked as the word left her lips. I squeezed her hands, beckoning her to continue.

"They get to the cave that you were being kept in, and fight off the last of the enemy shinobi. You…you all almost make it out, but the walls of the cave start to crumble. Kakashi nearly gets crushed by a large boulder, but Obito jumps and pushes him out of the way, and… and I think you know what happens next." Grainy images of Obito's body being crushed sprang forward in my mind, and I blinked them away. Her eyes closed and she inhaled shakily, and when she opened them again, her brassy orbs were still just as dull and lifeless as they had been before. There was more that I was desperate to know, but it could wait until later.

"…Obito is a great person, Rin." she's says it like I don't already know. "Being crushed by a rock is the last thing he deserves. Please, I'm begging you, don't let that happen." Her hand trailed up to the glistening pendant that hung from her neck. Her fingers ran over the gemstone delicately. "And please, you keep yourself safe, too. I… I don't know what I'd do if I lost you, Rin." There was more she wanted to say to me then, but didn't let the words leave her lips. I ran my hands along her cheeks and then through her hair, the shiny strands silky to the touch. I bent forward, placing a firm kiss to her forehead and held her there. My arms wrapped around her small frame, and I pulled her as close to me as was humanly possible. I rocked her back and forth, in an effort to calm both her and myself.

"I just… I just didn't want things to c-change between us, Rin." She lifted her head from my chest and glanced up at me, her eyes still wet and now bearing a heavy sadness.

"Nothing you say will ever make me love you any less, Hanami. You mean everything to me, and that won't ever change. I promise." She blinked back the rest of her tears and sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She sat there wordlessly in my lap for a handful of minutes before she peered at me from behind the length of her bangs. When this was all over, I'd take her to get her hair cut.

"When you get home, I'll tell you anything you want to know, ok?" I started forming a list for myself with endless questions in order of what I wanted know most, and by what I thought she'd be comfortable giving an answer to. I had a feeling that any prompting of who she had been before she was my sister wasn't something she wanted to talk about, so that could wait. There would be things that she would eventually tell me on her own without my asking, I was sure. A soft knocking sounded throughout the small hospital room, and I called for them to enter. Itachi and Mikoto stepped inside. Itachi had a bouquet of yellow tulips, Hanami's favorite, clutched in his hands with worry pulling his lips and brows downwards.

"Is this a bad time? Obito-kun said he didn't know when you two would be finished talking, so…" Mikoto sentence trailed off, as her eyes scanned over mine and my sister's overwrought expressions.

"How about you and Itachi hang out for a bit, Hanami-chan? He looks like he'd really like to talk to you." She nodded in silent agreement, pulling herself almost reluctantly away from my embrace. I kissed the top of her head one last time before I stood from the mattress, its springs creaking loudly with the sudden shift of my limbs. Mikoto placed a kiss to Hanami's cheek before her and I left the room together. I couldn't help but spare her one last look; even with Itachi's presence, the light in her eyes had yet to return.

•

 **Hanami**

"What happened, Hanami?" As soon as the door had been shut behind my sister, Itachi let shatter any composure he may have had while his mother and Rin had been in the room with us. I wrestled with an answer in the back ofmy mind, but I couldn't settle on anything that wasn't a complete lie, so I said nothing.

There was so much that had happened in the last few days; where did I start? Or really, where _could_ I start? I didn't know the answer. He sighed deeply, sitting the bouquet of yellow tulips down on the bedside table as he joined my perch on the stiff mattress. If I hadn't been so tired and drowning in a well of despair, I would've smiled. I had never told him that yellow tulips were my favorite flower, and I had no idea how he had figured it out. Maybe he had asked Rin, or Kushina. Whatever it may have been, I picked them up gently and drew them close to my face, inhaling the sweet scent. I rubbed one of the petals in between my fingers, but not once did I look up at him. I was finding it hard to, at the moment.

On my second birthday, I had said to myself that I had time. That _we_ had time. But today's events had made me realize that truthfully, we did not. My first five years here had gone by before I had really registered how quickly time was slipping between my fingers, and the next five would be just the same. And for the life me, I couldn't recall _why_ the Uchiha had even started the coup d'état in the first place. It had something to do with the Kyuubi attack, right? God. When I was mentally stable, I'd have to get all of this shit sorted through.

"Why won't you talk to me?" Itachi rarely was ever upset with me, but when he was, it made me feel like the epitome of trash. His eyes were filled to the brim with concern, and I hadn't even thought to spare him the decency of a proper explanation. I sat the tulips down and grabbed him, pulling him into a tight hug. Emotional revelations and embraces seemed to be the theme today. He wrapped his arms around my waist and mine were constricted snugly around his shoulders. Itachi was affectionate, but not outwardly so like Shisui was. They embraced much like they were as people, actually; Shisui's were all consuming, while Itachi's were gentle and full of warmth. I wasn't sure which ones I preferred.

"I'm sorry, 'Tachi." My hands smoothed over the back of his head. I scanned my eyes over the room until they landed on the clock; it was nearly one in the afternoon. It wouldn't be long now that Rin was to depart for her mission. "I just haven't been getting much sleep, is all, and I fainted." And really, it was partially true. But it was probably best if I left out all of the death and despair bits. He pulled away from me, and I know from the look he's wearing that he doesn't buy it.

"There's more, isn't there?" I nod my head, because he doesn't deserve to be lied to. He sighs again, but this time it's not nearly as exasperated as the one before: it's more defeated. I hold his hands in mine like I had done with my sister so many times today. His fingers are littered with calluses and healed cuts, but somehow still look unused in a way, even delicate. The room grew quiet, but it's not uncomfortable.

"…I think I understand you more now, after what happened here the last time." I'm shaken from my thoughts by the softness of his voice. He ran the pads of his fingertips over my knuckles, and I couldn't help but notice how small my hands were compared to even his. "I thought about what you said to me that day for a while, and what I had seen. I…I'm unsure how it will make me feel, to kill another person. But I would do it for you, for okaasan and otousan, for Shisui, for my sibling, and I'll do it for peace. I see now how important it is, and how big of a sacrifice it will be. What I'm saying is… is that I don't blame you, Hanami. I think I understand." It was like a thousand pound weight had been finally lifted from his shoulders. His lips tugged into a smile, and despite all of the reasons I had not to, I smiled back. No, I wasn't happy at all about hearing a child declare their willingness to murder in the name of "peace", but I thought that maybe it would look more convincing than it felt.

"Hey, sorry for interrupting, guys." Rin said, as she slowly entered the room. She had switched from her everyday clothes into her mission uniform. My heart constricted in my chest, but I refused to let it show. I needed to be strong. Not only for myself, but for Rin. "I'm leaving soon." She didn't sound like she was ready, but there wasn't anything she could do to keep things from moving forward. I slid down from the bed with Itachi by my side. He enclosed his hand over mine, and even if it didn't cease all of my anxieties of what was soon to happen, it helped more than I think he even realized.

"Itachi, could you do me a favor?" Rin said, as she crouched down to our height. He nodded firmly, and she placed one hand on his shoulder. "Keep an eye on her while I'm gone, alright? Make sure she eats like she should, and gets enough sleep. Can you do that?" For the first time that day, pink rose to my cheeks. For fuck's _sake_ , Rin.

"I think that's what Kushina is for, sis." She smiled halfheartedly.

"Actually, Kushina is going to be away on duty, too. I talked about it with Mikoto, and she says you can stay with them while we're gone. It'll be fun, like a sleepover." _Ha_. Let's see how well Fugaku likes that.

"I promise that I will, Rin-san." They shared a long look before she pulled the both of us into a hug, for what was probably the millionth one today. Not much was really said after that, however. She left me by Mikoto's side as I watched her walk down the hospital's hallway and through the door, her dark clothing jarring against the pristine whiteness of the walls.

Deep breaths, Nohara. _Deep breaths._

•

 **OOOOOOOK, so the most important part first; I'm going to be going on hiatus. I'm not sure for how long, but it'll probably be a few weeks. There's just a lot going on in my life right now that needs to be attended to before this, so there's that.**

 **That aside, next chapter is the dreaded Kannabi Bridge mission, and like I said in the last author's note, will be told almost entirely from Rin's and Obito's perspective, save for a quick intermission starring Hanami, Itachi, Shisui and someone else that'll end up being pretty important. Also, it's going to be long as hell. We're talking like 12,000 words, here. If only I could write assignments as zealously as I do fanfiction.**

 **Fun Fact of the Day: When I had originally started writing this, it was told entirely from Hanami's perspective. I hadn't planned on narrating things from Rin's point of view as often as I do, or at all, really. Now, I consider her and Hanami both to be the main character(s), not just Hanami. I think it keeps things interesting.**


	14. Chapter Thirteen:

•

 **Chapter Thirteen: Wherein Shisui is a spaz, Rin is**

 **late and** _ **someone**_ **gets kidnapped.**

•

 **"…She left me by Mikoto's side as I watched her walk down the hospital's hallway and through the door, her dark clothing jarring against the pristine whiteness of the walls.**

 **Deep breaths, Nohara. Deep breaths."**

I walked next to Itachi with his hand wrapped around my smaller one. I suppose it was the declaration he had made to Rin before she departed from the hospital, but he wasn't letting me out of his sight or arms reach. I didn't quite mind it, either. Physical contact was a sure fire way to make me feel more contented even in the most dire of situations. The warmth from his hand kept my mind partially away from all of the things that could go horribly wrong, if only by a little. I think that was one of the things I like best about him; even in the most hectic of storms, he was always there with open arms and an umbrella big enough to accommodate the three of us- the third being Shisui, of course, who we were on our way to pick up from school. Shortly after Rin left, Mikoto nearly fainted halfway to the Uchiha district, so we tucked her into bed with a cup of tea and her word that she wouldn't be getting up for the rest of the day. Fugaku would be home soon, now. I found myself slightly troubled over what he had to say concerning my impromptu visit. Hopefully, he wouldn't be too spastic and kick me out into the streets or something equally as Bah Humbug.

"They'll be fine, Hanami. I'm sure of it." Itachi said, as we approached the front of the schoolyard. I wanted to believe him, but my foreknowledge prevented me from it. The list of things that could go awry was never ending; not just now, but further on, too. I was more than ready for this relentless rain cloud of unfortunate events to pass over me, but today wasn't the day. Tomorrow probably wouldn't be, either.

"If you say so, Itachi." There was no hiding the doubt that laced my voice, so I didn't try to. He frowned at me, but didn't retort. Then, the large double doors to the academy were forced open, and out came a herd of rambunctious children, ranging from ages five all the way to their early teens. I had noticed something about the academy's students; the ages fluctuated drastically from child to child, and the classes as a whole were sparse of anyone other than clan children. For them, it was kind of an obligation to become a ninja. For most civilians, it was not. And because of that, most non-shinobi families probably weren't willing to take the risk of their child getting brutally murdered. I couldn't say that I blamed them.

"Guys! Hey!" Shisui catapulted into us, nearly knocking both of our much smaller bodies to the ground. The frown that wouldn't disappear from my features only moments before was replaced by a smile and a giggle. Shisui truly was a wonderful distraction.

"Ok, _ok_ \- Shisui, that tickles!" He was taking turns in rubbing his face on the side of mine and Itachi's. I wasn't sure if he was trying to mark his territory in front of his classmates, but I was positive that was the effect it had. He finally relinquished his hold, his smile just as bright as I had expected it to be. It was then that a boy about mine and Itachi's age, maybe even a year younger, joined our little trio. By his pupil-less and dark brown hair, I had a pretty definite guess of his clan affiliations: Hyūga. Shisui threw his right arm around the boy's shoulder, who only grinned and laughed airily.

"So, are these those friends of yours you always talk about?" a slight flush rose to his cheeks as he scratched behind his head sheepishly. I suddenly felt a pout coming on. Where was this social butterfly when I was introduced into the mix? I suppose he must've still been in his cocoon.

"Kō, this is Itachi-chan and Hanami-chan. They're my best friends!" He gestured to us proudly like our friendship was his greatest accomplishment. The boy called Kō bowed informally, his expression pleasant. He looked up suddenly as his name was called, and gave us an apologetic wave and smile.

"It was nice to meet you two, but my otousan is here. I'll see you tomorrow, Shisui!" He dashed off, and I wouldn't have been surprised if his father scolded him for mingling with Uchiha children. They didn't really receive the prize of Most Popular.

"He was nice, Shisui." Said Itachi, as we walked side by side away from the academy. Shisui had taken to my other hand, and I found myself a lot less tense than I had been earlier in the day. Truly, I didn't know where I'd be without them. Not that they'd ever know it.

"Yeah, he's cool. Next time, maybe you guys can meet a few more of my friends. They're all really nice. Really strong, too." Shisui hummed to himself, swaying our conjoined hands as we walked. I kept quiet, but enjoyed their presence nonetheless. We stopped at the dango stand at Itachi's request, and sat down in a row once we received our food. We ate to the sound of Shisui's joyful chatter, but I zoned out after he had transitioned from academy talk to how sloppily his dad prepared bento boxes.

I picked at my teeth with one of long, pointed skewers the dango came on for a moment, before something out of the corner of my eye beckoned my attention. He was tall, his skin deathly pale and hair long enough to reach past his shoulders. It was almost like the blood froze in my veins. He was unmistakable; especially since peeping on children has long since been established as Orochimaru's favorite past time. My eyes narrowed into thin slits, and did not leave his. He looked amused; almost like the thought of a child having enough courage to engage in a staring match with him was preposterous. Only I wasn't a child, and any fear I may've had for him was outshone by the urge to protect my friends from his body snatching tendencies. Even if it would be years before he tried to get his hands on Itachi, if he even ended up in the Akatsuki in the first place, I still didn't want him anywhere near him. Or Shisui, for that matter.

"Hey guys, you think we could get going? _Now_?" They eyed me curiously, but I didn't wait for an answer before I grabbed both of their hands in quick succession and drug them away from the dango stand and from Orochimaru's intrusive stare. They stumbled behind me, Shisui objecting the entire way. I finally stopped to breathe, leaning my arm up against a wooden fence.

"Hanami, what the heck was that about?" Shisui demanded, his arms crossed over his chest with his brows drawn downwards. I ran my hand over my face and then through my bangs.

"Did you two see the man watching us- tall, pale, wears an absurd amount of eyeliner?" Confusion washed over both of their expressions. "Ok, I'll take that as a no. His name is Orochimaru."

"What, you mean the Sannin guy?" I nodded. "I'm sure he wasn't watching us in particular, Hanami-chan."

"Look, that doesn't matter, alright? Just if you see him again, stay away from him. I mean it, guys." I tried to go over reasons I could give them as to why they should without giving me away, but found none. Maybe I was just paranoid- more than usual. Or maybe it had been that sickening look in Orochimaru's eyes that told me to get the boys the _fuck_ away from him, and fast. Mother hen-ing came with being a Nohara like brown eyes and hair did, I suppose.

"But why, Hanami?" Itachi finally stepped forward, his arms crossed over his chest much like Shisui. Because he's going to try and use you as a vessel for his freaky jutsu, albeit hilariously unsuccessful. Because he's going to infect your little brother with the Cursed Seal of Heaven and take him under his wing for the same reason, also not going according to plan. I inhaled deeply and shut my eyes. Had I acted too rashly? I wasn't sure if I truly believed that I did.

"I'll… I'll tell you when you're older." _Wow_ , how parent of me. Shisui had been quiet for the last few moments before my most recent choice of words caused him to snap. He groaned exasperatedly, raking his hands through his inky curls.

"What does that even _mean_ , Hanami?" My lips parted to answer, but the words didn't reach my tongue. I couldn't answer that truthfully, so I didn't at all. He ground out another groan, this one more discouraged than the last. "What is it with you two and keeping secrets from me? I tell you guys everything!" Itachi and I looked between each other, and then to Shisui. It was almost kind of funny to me. I didn't just keep secrets from them, but from everyone. My entire fucking existence was one big cover up.

"Shisui, we don't keep things from you." Ha. Speak for yourself, Pretty Boy. I averted my eyes from them to my hands, picking at any of the nail that remained on the tips of my fingers. I don't know why or when I had picked up this habit, but I should probably stop. Just not right now, when I needed something else to focus on besides one of my best friend's disappointed expression. Speaking of whom, promptly yanked my hand away from my mouth, the disapproval written clearly on his face.

"Yes you do, Itachi. And Hanami, stop biting your nails so much. You're going to make your cuticles bleed, for crying out loud." I scowled up at him, but softened from the concern and hurt in his eyes. "Like, why have you been acting so weird lately, Itachi? If something's wrong, I can try and help you. I just… I feel like you guys don't trust me, or something." His shoulders sagged, and immediately, I felt an immense sense of guilt consume me. If I could tell them everything, I would.

"Shisui, it's not that I don't trust you, I just… I just wasn't sure how to tell you." We moved over to a nearby bench and sat down, Shisui placed in the middle. "Four days ago, Hanami and I were in the hospital when a platoon of Shinobi had just been transported in from the field. There…there was so much blood. I've been having vivid nightmares about it, and I wasn't sure how to tell anyone, really. I apologize for not telling you sooner, Shisui. I truly am sorry." Shisui's expression morphed from dejected to beyond worried, and he wrapped his arm snuggly around Itachi's shoulders. I uncrossed my legs and swung my feet back and forth. I realized then, that I wanted to tell them. But I knew now wasn't the time to; they weren't old enough, weren't strong enough, weren't enough of anything to be able to really grasp who I was as a person. And maybe they wouldn't be able to ever, I didn't know.

"…I'm worried a lot about Rin, and Obito, and some other things that I promise I'll tell you about someday. I know that wasn't what you wanted to hear, Shisui, but it's all I've got for right now. I'm sorry." I kick my feet up and down, and kept my eyes pointed away from them. Shisui's hand wrapped around mine again, and I squeezed it. We fell into a silence after that, and remained so until much into the evening. The guilt I felt stayed just the same, though.

•

I hadn't ever been late to a team meeting before. I wouldn't say I disliked tardiness as much as say, Kakashi, but it was unprofessional and that wasn't really what I was going for, or my "nindo", as Obito would say. But I was late today, and on the worst possible occasion, too. Maybe my farewells to Hanami had been too drawn out, but I knew I didn't actually believe that.

Kakashi had just been promoted to jōnin, and this would be his first official mission as one. It was a massive accomplishment for anyone, but even more so for someone so young. Obito and I had went over gift ideas a little over a week ago; well, it was really just me suggesting things with him sitting there with a sneer on his face. I had settled on a custom med pack like the one I had given Obito for his tenth birthday, this one also having an amulet sewn on the inside for good luck. I had my fingers crossed that maybe what I had said to him the day before had really sunk in, and that he would bring him just something, regardless how small. I'm sure Kakashi would act like it wouldn't mean much to him, but I was sure it actually did. Maybe. I was hoping so.

I jumped from tree to tree with chakra propelling each leap. I thought that going partially airborne versus conventional walking would help clear my thoughts like it usually did, but was disappointed when the effect wasn't what I had hoped for. There was a lot to think about. Obito, for starters. Obviously Kakashi was just as important, but he wasn't going to get crushed by a rock. Or maybe he would, because I've noticed the Universe kind of has a morbid sense of humor. So I had to consider that, too. And how to keep myself from getting captured, and if I end up being, anyway, how to make sure one of my teammates doesn't nearly die. Or maybe Obito had died before, but had been brought back from the dead somehow. I wasn't sure; I'd have to consult Hanami on that when I got home. Should've probably asked before, but right now wasn't the time for "should haves" or "what ifs".

I slowed my pace and took to the ground for the last two or so minutes of the walk, as I really didn't need to waste anymore of my chakra. Thankfully, one thing _did_ seem to be falling where I hoped it would've, as Obito was there on time with sensei and Kakashi. I was glad I wasn't greeted with complete awkward silence; instead, Obito and sensei were discussing what meat is best for barbecue. Kakashi had his arms crossed impassively, but that was something that could've gone without saying. I didn't really know what to say first, because an everyday hello didn't seem appropriate. Neither did a profuse apology, but that was what Kakashi looked like he thought he deserved.

"You're _late_." That was a sentence I had never heard once in my entire thirteen years of life. He was looking down at me like he usually would be to Obito right about now, except he would've expected it from him. In a way, he looked disappointed. "I expect that from Obito, not from you, Rin. Punctuality is ninja 101." Obito glared daggers at him, but held his tongue. I wasn't sure if he was more peeved by the jab at him or the jab at me.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi. There was just some things going on with Hanami, is all." I knew as soon as the words left my mouth that I should've lied to him instead. I never knew what Kakashi felt anyway, but even more so when it came to my sister.

"That's no excuse, Rin. You can't let her be a burden on your success as a ninja." And if sensei hadn't of intervened then, I probably would've went for his jugular. I immediately wanted to throw something back at him that would've cut him just as deep, but I had nothing. I didn't know if it was better that way or if I was really irked I had no ammunition, but sensei didn't give me time to brood.

"Alright, Kakashi, that's enough." I masked any residual anger with as much neutrality as I physically could. I liked Kakashi because he was my teammate and because I knew that there had to be some goodness in his heart, but almost hated him a little because waiting for that goodness to surface was like watching paint dry in extreme slow motion. Well, maybe I couldn't exactly say that. He had his moments, he really did. But obviously, now wasn't one of them. "We don't have the time for any arguing." And sensei was right, so I said nothing.

We started on our way with sensei at the lead as always, with Kakashi close behind him. I wasn't sure where and by whom I wanted to be walking, so I just settled on waking alongside Obito, even if a part of me didn't want to be. Partially because in a few days he had the possibility to be crushed basically to death, the other being I wasn't sure quite how to go about a conversation with him anymore. And it was _completely_ my fault. I could've thought of something else, right? I didn't have to come to the resolve of sucking my best friend's face. Surely, there was another option I had just looked over.

"…Rin, are you even listening?" No, and I hadn't noticed when we had stopped walking, either. Sensei gave me a funny look, and Kakashi had his hands on his hips like a mother scolding their child.

"We were talking about Kakashi's promotion, Rin-chan." Obito said, as he leaned into my ear in a mock whisper. My cheeks were inflamed with embarrassment. If I was this out of the loop now, how was it going to be when things started to get intense? Will I even be lucid enough to change anything at all?

"…Anyway, here's my gift, Kakashi; a custom made kunai. It's a little heavier than normal, but you can handle it." Sensei tossed him the kunai, and he caught it by the handle with ease. I fumbled over the zipper on my backpack, but finally opened it and retrieved the medical pack. It was fairly small considering all that I had managed to cram into it, so hopefully it wouldn't take up too much room.

"Uh, here's mine, Kakashi. Congrats on the promotion." Everyone, including the gift's recipient, was staring dumbfounded at Obtio as he handed Kakashi a small, compact scroll. "It's a sealing scroll with about three days' worth of meals in it. I uh, couldn't really buy you anything I thought you'd find useful, so I made you something." For once, he didn't even sound like he was faking his sincerity when it came to being civil with Kakashi. Hm. Color me impressed. Proud, too. He stared at Obito wide eyed for a handful of seconds, like his brain was completely unable to compute kindness being dealt to him by the Uchiha.

"…is there something in this? Laxatives?… _poison_?" And of course, the peace didn't last long. Obito sputtered incredulously, and sensei's fingers began rubbing rhythmic circles into his temple. _God_ , this mission was going to freaking _suck_.

"No, you asshole! What do you take me for?" I decided to give sensei a break and stepped between the two instead, putting a hand on both of their chests. I had more important things to be concerning myself with, like the possible death of one of my best friends and a whole slew of other scenarios that could take place within the next week. Their arguing wasn't included on the list.

"Guys, _please_ , let's just keep things civil, alright? I'm positive he didn't spike your food, Kakashi. Have a little faith." They both huffed, and the dull throbbing at the base of my skull became more pronounced and harder to shrug off. "Here, Kakashi. It's a custom med pack. Congratulations on the promotion." And unlike Obito, I wholeheartedly meant it. He didn't inspect it with nearly as much distrust as he did Obito's gift, and they were both quickly placed in his pants pocket.

"Thanks for stepping in, Rin. Now, we really need to get down to business. There isn't much time to spare." No kidding. We all followed sensei off into a clearing and crouched down next to a flattened rock, and he made quick work of unrolling a map, smoothing it out onto the even surface. It depicted all of the hidden villages, their countries and the terrain surrounding them.

"See, it's this line here." Sensei began, tracing his pointer finger along the skinny blue boundary line. "It shows where the land of earth is currently invading the village hidden in the grass. The enemy are shinobi from the hidden stone, and according to intel, they've deployed a thousand shinobi to the front lines." The weight of the situation finally rested on our shoulders. If this mission didn't go accordingly, we were screwed.

"They've advanced farther than the last time." Obito stated grimly, his hand thoughtfully scratching at the side of his cheek. I hadn't expected the war to drag on nearly as long as it had, and the fact that we had gotten to the point of last ditch efforts was a serious blow to Konoha's ego.

"The land of grass village is situated right next to the land of fire. We should've stepped in earlier." It was Kakashi this time, the slight edge in his voice almost startling.

"If the hidden stone is able to invade like this, then it must mean they have an efficient system for reinforcement." I interjected, looking around at the faces of my teammates.

"That's why our mission is this; The Kannabi Bridge. To crush your enemy at the front lines, requires an immense amount of shinobi. Therefore, shinobi like us, whose focus is sabotage, are forced to work in a small, efficient unit." He continued, his voice remaining low and grim.

"The bridge… So our mission is infiltration." Kakashi cut in, and Sensei simply nodded.

"Team Kakashi, your mission is to sneak behind the enemy and reach that bridge. Once the three of you are there, you will destroy it in order to disrupt the enemy's support operation. After that, you will promptly withdraw." Sensei spoke with an underlying finality in his voice. Yes, we would reach our target. But would all of us be standing in the end? I was scared of the answer.

A unanimous 'understood' was spoken between the three of us, and a short bout of silence settled into the air as we absorbed the newly provided information. In theory, it wasn't something that should be very difficult for us to accomplish. We were a team that had a fairly colorful past when it came to more high intensity field work. But obviously, things were going to be taking a drastic detour from what everyone was expecting. It was odd, but I felt like I had been preparing for this moment my entire life. Maybe destiny wasn't a thing of myth.

"And you?" Obito asked of sensei, finally disrupting our shared silence.

"I'll confront the enemy directly on the battlefield. That will create a diversion so you can do your job. Now remember, Kakashis' your captain on this mission. All four of us will travel to the border together, but once we get there, we'll split up for our missions." We stacked our hands on top of each other's, a sort of official team handshake we had been doing side the dawn of our first c-rank.

"Right!" And like that, we were off. Kakashi manned the front, a position I couldn't help but think he was meant to hold, with Obito, me and sensei trailing behind him in that order. A withering uneasiness started to rise in the pit of my stomach. The atmosphere was dismal, almost as if the overgrown trees themselves knew of what was on our horizon. I kept my eyes on the ground, but my mind focused on a plan of action. Never before had I been so completely stuck on something in my life. I wasn't a combat specialist, and no doubt, any enemy we would be facing had years more experience than I did. Realistically, and if at all, could I fend for myself? I wasn't some weak and defenseless little girl by any means, but that didn't imply that I could actually fight off someone twice my size and qualifications. There was just no way. I knew little other jutsu other than medical; a few earth style and that was it. My taijutsu was alright, and I could certainly use someone's weight and height against them, but… I couldn't help but feel like that just wouldn't quite cut it.

Kakashi suddenly paused, so Obito and I did, too. The breath in my lungs became achingly stiff. It wasn't _that_ time yet, but Hanami-chan had mentioned that we would get into an altercation first and Kakashi would be injured. After a moment, we were all in a straight line and crouched down onto the earth. Sensei placed his pointer finger to the ground, making a small 'tsk' sound after a short moment.

"There's one… be on your guard, everyone. There are twenty of them out there, but I believe they're only shadow clones." Kakashi shifted almost anxiously, his arm extending outward. My eyes widened. Could he be about to use that jutsu I had seen in my dreams?

"I agree, sensei. I'll attack. Please back me up."

"Wait. Don't be hasty. I'll go. You cover me, Kakashi." He said nothing, but only proceeded to form a series of hand seals that made my breath hitch in my throat.

"Sensei. I am captain today, right? I want to try out a new jutsu I've been working on." His hand buzzed and crackled with an unwavering influx of blue chakra. I stared at it, slack jawed and wide eyed.

" _Chidori_!" He went to lunge forward through the brick wall we were crouched behind, but sensei extended his arm in front of Kakashi's chest. His brows narrowed, and he glared at sensei fixedly.

"No matter how many there are, I can take them down in an instant with this jutsu! It's exactly like your nickname, sensei. Besides, you said it yourself; right now, I'm the captain, not you. And the rules clearly state that the team must obey the captains orders, sensei."He reluctantly lowered his arm, and not another second was wasted before the rock was demolished by his jutsu. I covered my face with my arms in an attempt to deflect the flying debris from the blow. From then, things moved so fast I could hardly keep up.

Kakashi advanced forward swiftly, his body practically a blur as he went straight for where our enemy was lying in wait. Sensei went after him, and Obito and I followed behind them completely directionless. My hand itched by my kunai pouch. There was twenty shadow clones. There _had_ to be a few that Kakashi would miss. At once, the ground in front of Obito began to morph until a shadow clone surfaced, its hand darting out for Obito's ankle. Adrenaline surged through my veins as I lunged at it, kunai in hand, and straight for his neck. My blade swiped across his skin, and he was gone in a puff of smoke. My chest heaved as I struggle to regain my nerves. Obito stared at me, his eyes widened in shock. I felt sensei's chakra shift into our vicinity, his hand finding its way into my shoulder.

"Nice work, Rin." Sensei pivoted his head into Obito's direction, the boy still motionless with his mouth gaping open. I guess he expected that from _me_ just as much as Kakashi had expected to receive a gift from _him_. "And Obito, pay more attention to your surroundings." Obito stuttered an apology, before sensei was gone in a flash… _heh_. I inhaled another shaky, uneven breath. I had the most insatiable urge to go after another one, and another one, until all was left was the original. I wanted to slash his throat in the same manner that I had his clone, but I repressed any murderous intentions. That wasn't who I was, and not only that, I couldn't risk being injured myself. Far too much was at stake.

Then, sensei appeared at our side with Kakashi held securely in his arms. He was passed to me, and I took note of the dark, bleeding gash under his right arm _. Uh oh_. That could have very well severed his axillary artery. Although, if it had, he'd be bleeding a lot more. And also probably be close to dead.

I had begun directing chakra to my hands when the sound of something heavy hitting the ground interrupted me. Sensei was gone, and replaced by a backpack. He was never short on impressive abilities, that was for sure. He reappeared after a moment, wiping blood from a kunai before it was placed back into his holster. Obito was keeping quiet still, but his eyes were pointed away from Kakashi and me as I held securely onto him by his shoulders. Like me, I was sure he was itching to scream at him for being so reckless. Or, rub it in his face that he still had to have his butt saved by sensei, regardless of his fancy new jutsu. Whatever it was, I was just happy it hadn't spawned into an argument.

"Kakashi, I don't think you should use that jutsu again. Next time, don't be so reckless." He didn't retort, but instead deflated and sulked as I treated the gushing laceration under his arm. I eventually got his shirt off of him so I could better inspect his wound. If sensei hadn't of intervened, it probably would've ended up deeper. If it had, it definitely would've hit an artery. I bit the inside of my cheek. There was nothing you could've done to prevent this, Rin. _Deep breaths._

"It's closed up nicely, but don't strain yourself, ok?" I was wrapping bandages around his underarm and chest, giving his back a gentle pat once I was done. He didn't say anything, but nodded his head in thanks. Once he was dressed again, we gathered our things and moved on until it was dark out and time to set up camp.

I was exhausted, but unable to keep my eyes shut for longer than five minutes before I forced them open again. Kakashi slept soundly next to me, but Obito tossed and turned until he finally settled on his stomach, and fell asleep not long after that. As quietly as possible, I rose from my sleeping bag and maneuvered myself around my sleeping teammates; jumping up onto the rock that sensei was seated on. He was meditating, but opened one eye when he noticed my presence.

"Sorry to bother you, sensei, I just… I can't sleep." He offered me a shrug. I folded my legs under me and sat, my hands fidgeting as a subtle breeze blew strands of my hair across my forehead. I wished desperately that he didn't have to leave once we got to the border, no matter how completely unprofessional the thought was.

"What's on your mind, Rin?" There was a lot I could've said to that, so I mulled it over for a minute. Kakashi came to the forefront. If anyone knew what made Kakashi the person that I had come to call comrade, it was him.

"Um… I'm going to try and say this as politely as possible." he raised his brow quizzically, but his eyes told me to continue. "Why is Kakashi…Kakashi? I mean, why does he belittle people like he does, why does he disapprove of the way I care for my sister? Why is he _so_ …?" There was probably a better way that I could've worded that, but it escaped me. He looked like he wanted to sigh deeply, but didn't. His eyes closed again, opening them after a moment and turning his head over to me.

"…Kakashi's father was Sakumo Hatake, the genius ninja feared as the White Fang of the Leaf. In his time, even the legendary Sannin paled in comparison. With having spent his childhood alongside a genius like that, it's hardly a surprise that Kakashi's standards for people and his teammates are unnaturally high. "

"White Fang of the Leaf… mom and dad mentioned him a few times. I remember… _wait_. He… he committed suicide, didn't he?" Sensei nodded, and a hard lump rose in my throat. I couldn't believe that I had never made that connection before.

"Sakumo Hatake, the man the Konoha revered, become ostracized by everyone he knew after he sacrificed the success of a mission to save his comrades. Even the people he saved looked down upon him. After a while, it became too much to bear, and he took his own life. That is why Kakashi values rules and regulations more than anything. I know he can be hard to get along with, but you just have to understand why he is the way that he is." I let his words seep in, not once taking my eyes away from the starry sky above. I wasn't sure what I felt right about now. It didn't entirely excuse him in my book, but I think I understood now. After a few more minutes of shared silence, I excused myself and returned to my sleeping bag. I watched Kakashi's chest rise and fall, his rhythmic breathing eventually lulling me to sleep.

The next day, we set out on the rest of our journey after I had rewrapped Kakashi's wound. Sensei eventually said his goodbyes, and as soon as he left, the anxiety I had felt before returned with a vengeance. I kept alert, always making sure to check over my shoulder whenever I felt any sort of unrest in my surroundings. We had been traveling by foot for half a day when we came upon a marsh land, the view restricted by over grown bamboo shoots. Instantly, my muscles froze. I wasn't sure what it was, but I knew this was it. It had to be.

I stepped one foot in front of the other tentatively through the murky water, my hand hovering over my kunai pouch. I made a signal to Obito, who then relayed it to Kakashi. He paused, his hand reaching for his tantō. Out of nowhere, a barrage of bamboo came hammering down on us, but was quickly resolved by Obito's fire ball jutsu. The hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention. My feet swiveled just in time for me to come face to face with a much taller man, as he canceled what I was guessing to be a camouflage jutsu. At the same time, another assailant came hurdling at Kakashi, Obito unmoving in the center of it all.

It didn't take much for me to be incapacitated. I swiped at him with my kunai, but he deflected each blow. With a single hit to the stomach, I screamed, the pain overtaking my entire body as I was flung over his shoulder. Blood rushed to my head, and the urge to vomit almost became overwhelming. Even as I thrashed against his restrictive hold, his grip on me didn't relent. I was captured, regardless of what I thought I knew that could've prevented all of this.

I had failed.

•

… **aaaaaand I'm back! Sorry for the (sort of) extended wait! Isn't it great when personal debacles aren't nearly as serious as you think they are?**

 **Anyway, first things first; I decided to split this chapter into twos, mainly because it was just** _ **waaaaay**_ **too high of a word count for just one chapter. Also, I enjoy cliffhangers. Not really when I'm the one reading it with no idea what's going to happen next, but being the one dealing them onto my readers. Mwahahaha.**

 **That aside, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I sure as hell hated writing it. I started this chapter I think April 24th and it wasn't finished until last night, mainly because I wasn't sure how to go about the dialogue during Rin's POV, so I just stuck with canon, mostly. Procrastination at its finest. Also, we're coming up on the last pre written chapters. That means that the one to two day updating schedule will probably be no more. I'm on summer vacation and no doubt will be writing a lot, but I have the tendency to skip around chapters and avoid writing certain ones, so it takes longer for me to get back on track. But, chapter fourteen was written and edited a few weeks ago, so after 13 part two is uploaded, that will be posted soon after. Keep an eye out for it.**

 **Fun Fact: Kakashi Gaiden is my favorite arc in all of Naruto, hands down. I cri evrytim. Even though I've watched/read it about eleven times already.**


	15. Chapter Thirteen, the Second:

•

 **Chapter Thirteen, the Second: Wherein Kakashi and Obito bond (for real, this time), Leda speaks and Rin doesn't back down.**

•

 **"…I was captured, regardless of what I thought I knew that could've prevented all of this.**

 **I had failed."**

Not lashing out at every shitty thing Kakashi says was a lot harder than I had anticipated. I held back because Rin asked me to and I wasn't about to disappoint her, but _damn_. It's like the guy can't help himself. I guess I could say the same thing about my own backlashing tendencies, even if I'd never admit it. Like ever.

It was the night after the disastrous fight that had happened the afternoon before. Well, maybe I couldn't say _disastrous_ , because no one died or anything. Disastrous for Kakashi specifically, because he made an ass out of himself. The urge to rub his nose into his minor shortcoming was pretty overwhelming, but I held my ground. I'd say this was truly a testament to my perseverance.

I rolled over probably twenty times before I decided on my stomach. I wasn't tired at all, regardless of how long I had been lying there or how fucking exhausting the day had been. There was a lot on my mind. Mainly Rin, and what had happened at the hospital the other day. I was glad my face was covered, because the thought made my cheeks turn red pretty much instantly. Not that anyone was awake to see it, but that wasn't the point. _She_ kissed _me_. As in, on her own doing. And she let me kiss her again, and then a few more times. After eight years of dreaming of the day it would finally happen, it did. A bit differently than I had expected, but whatever. The details didn't really matter.

But, that wasn't where the list of things that kept me awake at night ended. I wasn't sure I believed what she said at all, but Rin wouldn't just make up some wild tale for no reason. There _had_ to be some truth to it. At which point, I didn't know. I mean, reincarnation wasn't real, was it? And why would that cause her to have visions of her and I dying? It didn't make any sense to me, not one bit. But… it would explain a few things about Hanami, I guess. She's always been an oddball, not that that wasn't one of things that made her even cuter and more lovable. Rin had said that Hanami was acting worried, like she, too, thought she knew something was getting ready to go down. And _if_ that were true, it definitely tied up a few stray ends. Like why she was so gloom and doom all the time, or why she went about life _way_ too cynically for a five year old. She was waiting for us to die. God, that's awful. _If_ it were true. That still remained to be unproven, but more could be said about it when we were all home, safe and sound, and able to discuss it rationally. Just need to get this stupid ass mission over first.

Rin got up from her sleeping bag and tip toed around me and Kakashi. I stayed still, so she wouldn't know that I was awake, too. She spoke quietly to sensei, and like a creep, I strained my ears to hear every word. It wasn't like I had anything better to do.

"Sorry to bother you, sensei, it's just… I can't sleep." Don't I know the feeling. I quietly turned over onto my back as he said something I didn't quite catch over the sound of Kakashi's breathing. Bastard.

"Um… I'm going to try and say this as politely as possible." she paused for a moment, and I was sure she was biting at her lip. "Why is Kakashi…Kakashi? I mean, why does he belittle people like he does, why does he disapprove of the way I care for my sister? Why is he so…?" Well, if that wasn't the question of the century. My eyes shifted over to Kakashi for a split second. His chest rose and fell evenly, but even in a dead ass sleep, still looked like an uptight asshole. I guess there was no escaping it.

"…Kakashi's father was Sakumo Hatake, the genius ninja feared as the White Fang of the Leaf. In his time, even the legendary Sannin paled in comparison. With having spent his childhood alongside a genius like that, it's hardly a surprise that Kakashi's standards for people and his teammates are unnaturally high." My head rolled back over into Kakashi's direction slowly. Well… that explained some things.

"White Fang of the Leaf… mom and dad mentioned him a few times. I remember… wait. He… he committed suicide, didn't he?" I completely froze. He… his dad killed himself?

"Sakumo Hatake, the man the Konoha revered, become ostracized by everyone he knew after he sacrificed the success of a mission to save his comrades. Even the people he saved looked down upon him. After a while, it became too much to bear, and he took his own life. That is why Kakashi values rules and regulations more than anything. I know he can be hard to get along with, but you just have to understand why he is the way that he is." I stayed on my back, even though it was painfully uncomfortable, long after Rin had returned to her sleeping bag and passed out. Did I really blame Kakashi, now? Well, yeah, because he was still a shithead to me any chance he got. But… imagine if I had grown up in that environment. I couldn't say I wouldn't have ended up the same way.

Morning came, and I couldn't stop myself from eyeing Kakashi from over my shoulder. Rin redid his bandages, making him promise he wouldn't over-exert himself. I found myself actually wanting to talk to him; I didn't, obviously, but the urge was still there.

After sensei left us by the border, we were off. I tried to keep my mind off of the things it shouldn't be wandering to; like how Kakashi might end up killing Rin, or how fucking terrible it must be to have a parent take their own life, or how absolutely god-awful it is knowing your loved ones are probably going to die. I thought about what Rin had said, about me getting crushed by a boulder. Would that be this mission? I shook my head. No use in thinking about it, now. Just concentrate.

I had lost track of how long we had been traveling, but at maybe midday, we arrived in a swampy like area completely masked by massive bamboo shoots. Rin's chakra spiked, and it wasn't a second later that she signaled for us to halt. I relayed it to Kakashi, who then grabbed for his tantō. A cluster of bambo came raining down on us from above, and thankfully I was able to disintegrate them before anyone was hit. A ninja came flying at Kakashi, who he quickly got into a brawl with. My hand twitched by my weapons holster, but I was completely frozen. I screamed for my legs to move, but they wouldn't obey my orders. I was finally roused into action when Rin screamed, now strung over the shoulder of a brick shit-house of a man.

"Rin…" Once she had been apprehended, the other guy that was busying Kakashi withdrew, and suddenly, they were gone. My heart fucking stopped. " _RIN_!" Why… why couldn't I move? What the hell was wrong with me? I stared at the spot she had once been standing in, and the feeling of dread only worsened the long I stood, so I started to pace. And grab at my hair, scream every curse I knew and generally just fucking panic.

"Are you done, Obito? We need to move on."

"What…what the hell do you _mean_ , we need to move on?" I felt like shaking him like a rag doll. _Move on?_ How the hell could we move on, when one of our teammates had just been captured? Rin… I wouldn't ever leave her behind, even if it killed me.

"The success of the mission comes first, Obito." He put his tantō back in its holster, keeping his eyes on mine. Like always, he was unreadable. How could he be calm right now? Did Rin really mean that little to him?

"What about Rin, Kakashi? We can't leave her behind!" I raked my hands through my hair in an attempt to get a hold of myself; mission unsuccessful. Ok, what do I do… what the _fuck_ do I do? I could follow her chakra signature, find out where they're keeping her… but those guys were _way_ out of my league. What if I wasn't strong enough to save her? As much as it made me want to scream, I needed Kakashi. But obviously getting him to wake the heck up and realize how dire the situation is was a task itself.

"She's a medic, Obito. They'll more than likely keep her around to heal their wounded. She'll be fine until the mission is over, and then we can retrieve her. Until then, the mission at hand comes first." I couldn't believe this guy. Actually, I could. It still didn't mean that his behavior wasn't goddamn sickening. I balled my hands into tight, angry fists at my sides.

"That's just a guess, Kakashi! How do you know that they don't intend to torture her? You don't!" I was screaming even louder, now. I didn't even want to think about what those bastards could be doing to her. It made my stomach churn. He didn't look like he wanted to argue; actually, as the conversation dragged on, he looked more and more distraught. I wondered if he was thinking back to his dad, and what he had to endure because he sacrificed the mission for his friends, only to be ostracized by his peers. He just didn't want to end up with the fate his father unfortunately had, and that part I understood. But there had to be some leeway, right? Even if he didn't think there was. I just had to knock some sense in to him, I guess.

I felt like crying- actually, I was pretty close to. Rin told me to listen to him and obey his orders to avoid any conflict. But… that was before she had been captured. She would have to understand.

"Look, Kakashi. I've tried to be complacent and abided by your orders this entire mission. But going back for Rin isn't going to completely screw the mission over, especially if we just work together. We can get there in a timely fashion, retrieve her, and then complete our objective afterwards. I… I know what happened to your dad." his eyes grew wide, and he froze. "I know that's why you always follow the rules, because you're scared of how your fellow shinobi might treat you. I get that. But Rin… Rin would _never_ leave us behind. If it wasn't for her, we'd have died a long time ago. I know that you believe ninja that break the rules are scum, but ninja who leave their friends behind are worse than scum." If it would've helped sway him, I would've dropped to my knees and begged. His eyes darted around the swamp, and I took a few steps toward him. I felt like I was approaching an animal in the woods, trying to be as gentle as possible so they don't run away. "Please, Kakashi. We have to help her."

I took one more step toward him and grabbed him by his shoulders. Getting him to listen to me was a long shot, and I knew that. But that didn't mean it hurt to try. It was kind of like he was experiencing every emotion all at once; he looked angry, then baffled, then frightened and sad. If a part of me hadn't of wanted to punch his face in, I might've hugged him. Of course I didn't, because he'd probably stab me, anyhow.

"We… we have to do this quickly, Obito. We only have one shot." Screw it; I hugged the shithead anyway. It didn't last long because that would've been awkward, but I did it, nonetheless. I stepped away from him and drew my hand to my eyes, digging my fist into my socket. Do _not_ cry, dammit.

"Thank you." A single tear pooled in my eye, and I quickly wiped it away. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Just don't hug me again. Or cry."

"Understood, captain!" He pushed past me and I followed him until we came upon dry land. He pulled a scroll from his pocket, and after unrolling it, bit down on his finger and slammed the bloody appendage down onto the seal. In a puff a smoke, a small dog that I recognized as Pakkun materialized.

"Pakkun, we need your assistance finding my teammate, Rin." He pulled the medical pack from the pocket on his left pant leg and held it up to the dog's nose. "Can you pick up her scent?"

"Of course I can." I would never get over the whole talking dog thing. He stuck his nose in the air, then to the ground, feverishly sniffing out any traces of Rin's scent. "She's not far. This way, Kakashi." Nodding, he stood and motioned for me to follow him. We quickly took to the trees, Pakkun in toe.

 _We're coming, Rin._

•

I had only been under a genjutsu once; it was during practice with Kurenai one day, while we had been in the academy. I don't remember much about it, but it hadn't lasted long before she couldn't hold it any longer.

This one wasn't what I had expected, actually. I was floating, because standing didn't seem to quite fit, in a bottomless, white void where up and down no long existed. I held my hands at my sides, and then ran them over my face, slapping my cheeks in the process. The sound ricocheted off of the walls that weren't there, and faded into obscurity after a handful of moments. This was odd. They were trying to pry information out of me, weren't they? But yet, I felt completely calm; safe, even.

" _Hey, Rin_." The voice felt out of place as it reached my ears and echoed around me. I lifted my head upwards, my eyes widening at the sight of another person. She was tall; incredibly so, actually. Her skin was ashen, but still held traces of a peachy color, and I doubted there was a part of her that wasn't completely dusted with freckles. Her wavy, scarlet locks were cut short, her bangs plastered across her forehead. Her most alarming feature was that she was completely naked and soaked from head to toe; I recognized her almost instantly. A name failed to come to mind, but I knew her face from the countless nights that had been spent awake because I didn't want to have to see her die again.

" _Sorry, I'm a bit indecent_." She scratched the side of her cheek, and suddenly clothing began to morph onto her drenched form. " _You don't worry about nudity so much when you're dead_." Our eyes stayed focused on each other's, unblinking. They looked nothing alike, but yet, she and Hanami were startlingly similar. In the way they held themselves, in the absent, almost hollow look in their eyes. She moved her eyes around the space surrounding us, whistling after a moment with her hands tucked behind her back. " _Well, this is mighty awkward_."

"Oh, um…I'm sorry. Hi." Her lips curled into a lopsided grin, that I knew belonged just the same on my sister's face. "It's good to see you when you're not, y'know… _drowning_." I wanted to shove the words back into my mouth, but she barked out a laugh nonetheless.

" _Yeah, I bet it is. Sorry about that, by the way. I guess a part of me got sucked into you when I was reborn_." She scratched behind her head, her lips still upturned in a small grin.

"It's alright, it's not like you did it on purpose. Um… do you know what's happening? Am I under a genjutsu?" The mirth from her expression promptly vanished, and her arms fell limp at her sides.

" _They tried to put you under one. Emphasis on 'try'."_ She hovered around the endless void of white until she was nearer to me, and I swallowed roughly. I was used to seeing her jumping to her death or screaming and crying out of fear, not standing in front of me casually like I hadn't spent the last five years of my life watching her die over and over again. " _Like I'd let anyone hurt you, Rin._ " I breathed deeply. The scent of stagnant water filled my nostrils.

"Well, thank you." I chewed at the inside of my cheek, completely at a loss for any words besides 'um' and just as awkward variations of it. What can you really say to your sister's past life?

 _"…I know this has been a lot for you to adjust to, and I'm sorry for that._ " She said, her eyes and voice taking on a warmth she hadn't yet displayed. " _And… thank you for taking care of us, and loving us despite what you've been through. I know it's been hard, and I know you've had to put your own needs aside to better care for us, and I don't think you realize just how much we appreciate it. That's why you have to live, Rin. You deserve it._ " She reached forward and brushed her fingertips along my cheek. Her touch was cold and lifeless, but despite that, comforting.

"I will. I promise. And… thank you for being there for me, too. Without Hanami, I don't know where I'd be." She smiled again, some light coming her eyes despite the heavy darkness that surrounded them. She pulled her hand away, letting her arm fell back against her side.

" _I was able to combat the genjutsu, but it won't be long now that Kakashi and Obito show up. The minutes following that are crucial._ " I nodded, and for the first time during this entire mission, I felt at peace. I could do this. She closed her eyes, and suddenly, everything, including her, began to shift and tear. The white morphed into grays, blacks and blues, and her skin started to dissolve and dissipate like drops of dye in water.

" _It's time to wake up now, Rin. Good luck."_ I reached for her, but my fingers grasped at nothing but chillingly cold water. I inhaled, expecting it to invade my lungs, and was alarmed when it didn't. I thrashed and kicked against the strong currents, but remained stuck where I had been hovering before she left.

" _Wait_! Come back!" My vision started to blur, and I felt myself slipping back into consciousness. Behind me, something in the water shifted, and I felt someone's breath on the back of my neck.

" _Don't worry. You'll see me again."_ I shut my eyes, and when I opened them again, was greeted by the walls of a cave. My captor, a rat-like looking man with limp, dirty looking brunette hair had his back turned to me. I kept my eyes half lidded and head down, so he didn't know that I had woken.

"She ain't budgin' Taiseki. Go check if the other brats came back for her." While they spoke, I worked on the knot they had bound my wrists with. I got it undone with minimal effort, but kept still. I didn't need to be giving myself away, now. I needed to be raring to go once the boys got to the cave. I didn't look, but I was sure that the one known as Taiseki had left to look for Kakashi and Obito. My heart clenched like a fist. Hanami had said that they had split up originally; Obito coming to save me, Kakashi initially set on completing the mission. I was hoping that something was said that made Kakashi just go with Obito in the first place, but I didn't get my hopes up.

The other one that I didn't know the name of walked in a line in front of me, each step more aggravated than the last. I closed my eyes before he crouched down, yanking my head up by my hair.

"Stupid girl. How can a little runt like you fight off a jōnin level genjutsu?" He sounded resentful, almost making me want to smirk. I kept my expression blank and my breathing low and even, so he wouldn't know that I was no longer unconscious. He roughly shoved my head against the wall behind me, but I didn't show any signs of pain. He let go of my hair, my head rolling over onto my shoulder. He stood again, and kicked at my side.

I counted each second as five more minutes passed. I was surprised that he hadn't done anything serious to me; I was half expecting him to cut my fingers off as torture or something. At the mouth of the cave, I felt a spike of chakra. Despite myself, my lips were slowly turning upwards into a smile.

Showtime, I suppose.

"Well, well, well, look who showed." The man sneered, arrogance lacing each word. I moved my arms from behind my back to my front, getting a kunai from my holster and cutting away the rest of my bindings. The shrill sound of metal on metal bounced off the walls of the cave. Cutting away the last of the ropes, I got to my feet and withdrew another kunai from my pouch. I darted behind the man and sank down low, slashing both kunai deeply into his calcaneal tendons. He was in the process of flinging Obito over his shoulder when he collapsed. I jerked my kunai forward and impaled it into his back, near the base of his spine. He probably wouldn't be getting up for a while.

The kunai shook in my hand as I took in the sight of my teammates. Kakashi was missing an eye, and Obito's were masked by the red of his newly awakened sharingan. My knife fell from my hand and to the ground with a barely audible 'clank'. I grabbed them both, pulling their battered bodies into a tight embrace. I wanted to sob, and scream, and thank every unseeable force that they were both alive, in one piece, and wrapped tightly in my arms.

"We need to get out of here, Rin." It was Kakashi, whose voice was surprisingly gentle. I nodded and peeled myself away from them, but reluctantly. I looked behind myself at my captor, who was busy bleeding out into the dirt. He'd be dead within minutes, and I was perfectly fine with that.

We left through the cave's entrance, not wasting another moment in completing our journey to the Kannabi Bridge. Sensei eventually found us, looking just as overwrought as I'm sure we did. We set up explosive seals all around the bridge, all connected by ninja wire. It would set off a domino effect of explosions until the entire bridge was in rubble, and I found myself giddy at the thought of seeing the bridge reduced to nothing by rocks. I held onto Kakashi and Obito's hands as sensei sent a steady current of chakra through the seals, causing them to activate. The bridge crumbled into pieces, the dust and smoke from the blast causing my eyes to water. It was a perfect excuse to hide the reason for the tears streaming down my cheeks. The grip I had on both of their hands secured even tighter.

Everything was fine.

•

 **AAAAAAND EVERYONE LIVES (for now)! Did you like it? Did you not? Whatever it may have been, tell me what you think!**

 **Writing established canon events is hard as balls. I don't know whether to keep the dialogue canon or do a variation of it, and it throws me off. I'm glad it's just finally over and written. It's nearly as long or entirely how I had planned it, but it's over and done with and if I ever feel like going back and rewriting, I will. I'm just so done with this arc at the moment. Also, just assume that the fight with Taiseki went basically exactly like canon. I would've written it as well, but it just wasn't going how I wanted it to. I hope it didn't detract any from the chapter.**

 **Fun Fact: In the original draft of the story, Obito actually ended up dying for real. The rock had been bigger and crushed him completely.**


	16. Chapter Fourteen:

•

 **Chapter Fourteen: Wherein there's a reunion, the sun comes out and a page is turned (but**

 **unfortunately, the chapter isn't quite over).**

•

" **Everything was fine."**

 **Hanami**

I turn over once; I'm now on my stomach, and I stay there for less than five minutes before I'm on my right side again. Shisui rustles next to me, while Itachi sleeps soundly and doesn't move an inch. I envy them. They had slept the whole night, and I had only gotten maybe two and half hours, three if I round up all of the times I went in and out of consciousness, each occasion only lasting an average of about ten minutes. It's nearly seven now, I think. They had been gone for five days, and I wasn't sure how much longer it would be until they returned. I was excited, but also horrified out of my fucking mind. I would be biting my nails right now if there were any more to bite, and if I hadn't promised Itachi and Shisui that I would stop. This is where I really wished I was of drinking age, because nothing sounded better right now than to drown my sorrows in vodka. Or sake, which was stronger, readily available and would probably get the job done a lot faster.

"…how long have you been awake, Hanami?" I wanted to lie to him at first, but I had learned over the last few days that Itachi Uchiha knew all of my nervous ticks and dead giveaways, so there wasn't any use in trying.

"Since two." A heavy sigh. Also, that seemed to be his default response when it came to dealing with my bad habits. He rolls over onto his side and inspects me, from my eye bags to the frown that never seems to be replaced by a smile. Being in the Uchiha household for nearly a week hasn't done anything but make me think about their untimely demise even more so than before. I felt like I was living in a haunted house attraction.

"Did you sleep at all?" I nod, but he still doesn't look pleased. I want to confide in him, tell him all of the horrible things I know are approaching, but I don't. He's not even five, yet. Maybe he won't have to die, anyway. And maybe, just maybe, Obito will walk through the village gates unharmed and grinning from ear to ear like I had dreamed he would. If only the Universe would be so kind. Mikoto slides the door open then, dressed in a long robe and a tried smile. Shisui, who insited on turning this into a full blown slumber party by staying over as well, decided to join the living and woke with a drawn-out, squeaky yawn. Mikoto's eyes focus in on me, and the smile from before was wiped clean from her porcelain features as soon as she noted the weary darkness around my eyes. All of the mother figures in my life are fucking terrifying.

"Hanami, did you sleep at all last night?" She demands, as her hand rubs gentle circles into her protruding belly.

"Yes, Mikoto-sama. I promise." I had run on less than three hours before, and I could do it again. Probably unsuccessfully, but I could try. She _tsked_ and shook her head, but I was sure that by now, she wasn't very surprised. She waddled her way down the hall and to the kitchen, us three in a row behind her. Truly, she had the mother duck thing down to a science.

The rice and eggs were piled high into bowls and placed in front of each chair. We sat down and tore into the food with vigor. Except for me, who slowly placed the bites into my mouth after the obligatory 'itadakimasu'. Itachi had yet to stop giving me concerned glances, but his attention was momentarily placed on his mother, who I noticed now looked like she had gotten less sleep than I did. I get that being pregnant is more about the baby you get out of it in the end, but holy _shit_ , it hardly seemed worth the effort.

"Okaasan, are you feeling alright?" He had begun to stand to walk over to her side, but she stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Itachi Uchiha was a certified, grade A mama's boy. Pass it on.

"I'm fine, Itachi-kun. Eat your breakfast." He acquiesced to her request, but his eyes never left her as he finished off the remainder of his breakfast. I gazed at the swathe of the early morning sky through the crack between the opened curtains. I hadn't been on a walk undisturbed and entirely by myself in over five years. If there was one thing that might alleviate some of the copious amounts of tension that was wearing heavily down on my shoulders, that was it. My lips pursed. Now, getting not only Mikoto, but my mini Uchiha guard dogs as well, to agree was a task itself.

"Mikoto-sama?" I addressed her verbally, but also kept my eyes on the boys so my question got across to them, as well. "Would it be alright if I went on a walk? By myself? As in, _alone_?" Suddenly, the concern on all of their expressions was amplified by about a hundred. It annoyed the hell out of me. I understood that I had given them numerous reasons to worry, but I could take care of myself. And what I needed more than anything was to not only get the _fuck_ out of here and actually _breathe_ for once in four days, but just to think somewhere that didn't have the potential to become soaked wall to wall in Uchiha blood. God, why did Kushina have to be away, too?

"Well, I suppose. Just stay in the compound, alright?" Well, that didn't go how I wanted it to. I didn't want to break Mikoto's trust, but I also didn't want to be surrounded by red and white fans, stony faces and certain death any longer. I had two options, and I was surprised how easily my mind settled on one without feeling a drop of guilt. Man, insomnia was really taking a toll on my conscience.

"Ok, Mikoto-sama, I will." Itachi opened his mouth and stood to reject to my request, but Shisui placed his hand on his head and pushed him back down and into the chair. I kissed both of their cheeks and hugged Mikoto's legs as I walked by, but didn't spare them one last glance as I pulled on my shoes and shut the door behind me. I was still in my nightdress, and I was sure that if she was physically able to, Miktoto would've drug me back inside to change.

I took heaping lungfuls of the crisp morning air. It was currently the fifteenth of March, and spring in Konoha was well underway. Really, it wouldn't be long before summer came knocking at our door, and it would be as dreadful and unwelcome a visit as it always was. Not many Uchiha were up at this hour, so the district was fairly free of bodies and distasteful glances. I pushed my way through the pristine gates and looked both ways. Maybe I wouldn't get run over by a semi-truck, but I've found that deadly ninja were just as scary as the prospect of being reduced to road kill.

It's slightly chilly, but I enjoyed the feeling of my skin prickling at the sudden intrusion of sharp, morning air dancing over my exposed flesh. I jogged at first, but slowed to a leisurely walk once I was a fair distance away from the source of my nightmares. As much I had grown to love a select few members of the clan, I was kicking myself in the ass for not excluding myself from their Uchiha shenanigans. If I hadn't met them, or even if I had and just taken my own advice of staying the fuck away, I wouldn't be nearly as stressed to the bone as I was currently. Oh yeah, I'm definitely a sadist.

I walked through the streets without direction. I passed produce stands and merchants as they set up shop for the busy day to come, sparing the vendor that sold faux ANBU masks a second glance. My eyes were drawn to the catlike one that I recognized to one day be Itachi's, and I stood there, transfixed, until an unapologetic merchant bumped into my side, nearly knocking me over. I don't retort, but instead dashed around the stall he was working and down the rest of the street, only stopping long enough to catch my breath. I ground out a curse once I realized where my feet had carried me; outside of the academy, near the swing set that was once the scene of childhood neglect and self-loathing by a certain blond haired boy. I run my hands over my face. There really was no escape, was there? Defeated, I plopped down on the swing, gently moving my body back and forth with the tip of my foot.

Rin's resignation didn't instantly guarantee that she wouldn't be kidnapped, and then forced into the role as host of the Three Tails. I realized then, as dreadful as the guilt that consumed me was, that I needed Rin to live more than anyone else. I felt awful for the thought as soon as it had formed in my mind, but it didn't make it any less my reality. If Rin died, what would any of this matter, anyway? I had told myself long ago that she was going to live, regardless of the consequences. If I couldn't even keep her alive, how could I insure the safety of anyone else? I couldn't. I found myself wanting to shed tears, but I swallowed them down roughly. Crying didn't accomplish shit. I was an adult, for fuck's sake. I didn't need to be bawling my eyes out in the middle of a playground just because I have no idea what the fuck I'm going to do with my life. It wasn't like I was a college student.

I was stirred from my woes when the sound of a scuffle entered my vicinity. It was at the front of the building; three boys, all about three or four years older than I was, loomed over the hunched forward body of another child, probably the same age but significantly smaller in stature. I squinted as a means to better see who the victim was. Silver hair, tied up in a spiky ponytail. Looking closer, I noticed the circular glasses adorning his nose, which were now lying in the dirt, having been knocked off from a particularly hard blow to his cheek. An ear-splitting cacophony of alarms sounded throughout my head. Could he be Kabuto? He certainly looked the part.

One of the assailant's foots connected to his side as he reached for his glasses. I bit my lip. I wasn't this world's savior. I wasn't obligated to assist the underdog characters in their time of need; especially not someone like Kabuto, who was as big of an asshole as you could come by. I stood to leave at first, but halted once one of the bigger boys grabbed him by his hair roughly and rammed his fist into the side of his head again, this time causing him to yelp. _Ouch_.

I had a few options, here. One, I could ignore this like I had never bore witness to it, and when I was in a sound state of mind, wallow in guilt. Two, I could throw myself into the situation and very likely get the shit beaten out of me as well. I had settled on the first one, but was frozen in place once Kabuto looked up to where I stood, and finally took notice to my presence. Oh, fuck me. First was Orochimaru, today is his number one fan. What an unfortunate series of events.

"…What did he do to deserve this?" I asked, finally having made my way over the four boys. Instantly, I realized the assailants were all young Uchiha; if the ginormous clan symbols weren't a dead giveaway, the condescending looks and cocky smirks were. I nearly succumbed to the harsh glares that bore down on me, but held my ground. They were _kids_ , Hanami. They cannot intimidate you… well, they _can_ , it was just kind of pathetic that they could to someone that was actually nearly three times their age.

"What's it matter to you?" It was the one that stood at the front, who I was assuming to be the leader in all of this. My eyes darted between him and the boy who was undoubtedly Kabuto Yakushi, his body still being held up by his hair. Despite the definite pain he was in, he seemed perplexed on why I was even bothering to help him. Really, I was, too.

"I guess it doesn't." I teetered from one foot to the next, never taking my eyes off of the boy in front of me. "But I doubt that Fugaku-sama will like it very much when I tell him how poorly some members of his clan were behaving." Have you ever delivered a perfectly worded comeback without stuttering before? Yeah, that's the kind of satisfaction I felt from the look that was now on their faces.

"Yeah, like _you_ know Fugaku-"

"She's the girl that hangs out with Fugaku and Kyo's brats, Kai!" Oh, how I never thought that being friends with Itachi and Shisui would actually benefit me. There was an immidiate shift in the boy named Kai's expression, and he relinquished his tight hold on Kabuto's hair and backed off slowly, his companions following suit.

"Fine, whatever. We'll leave him alone." They walked off cooly, and once they were out of sight, I knelt down in front of Kabuto and picked up his glasses, cleaning the lenses off with the hem of my dress. I probably looked a mess, with my un-brushed hair, heavy dark circles and night clothes. I polished off Kabuto's glasses and offered them to him, who took them tentatively from my small hand.

"What are you doing at school on a Saturday, anyway?" A dark flush spread over his cheeks. I handed him some of the books that had been strewn across the rubble, and he shoved them into his bag. "I won't tease you about it, or anything." He balled his hands into fists and placed them on his knees. He was a frail looking boy; not necessarily malnourished or ill-cared for, but bird boned, in a way.

"I…I was just reading here, I'm not a student. It's too loud at the orphanage to concentrate." He pushed his glasses further up onto the bridge of his nose. I took notice of the fresh scrapes and welts that were now forming on the sides of his cheeks, and winced. They really did a number on him, that was for sure.

"Oh." An awkward silence filled the space between us. He was evaluating me, and it was hard to refrain from looking away from his calculating stare. I wasn't sure if I thought this was an epically bad decision or if I was hoping that this simple act of kindness would persuade Karma to give me a fucking break.

"…do I know you from somewhere?" No, but I _definitely_ know you. "From the orphanage, I think." Oh…well, shit. Maybe you do. When it came to my short stay in the orphanage, I didn't really think about it much. The kids were assholes, the nuns were total bitches, and my only concern at the time was to make it out of there with my sister in one piece.

"It's a possibility." I bit my lip. I had been gone from the Uchiha household for about an hour. By now, they had probably figured out that I defied Mikoto's wishes and veered outside of the compound. The guilt I had been incapable of feeling before hit me all at once. I sighed. Well, there was no undoing it now.

" _Hanami_! Hanami, are you here?" It was Shisui and Itachi, who came bounding into the schoolyard. Itachi looked like he was about three seconds away from scolding my head off; Shisui like he was ready to strangle me. I sighed heavily, for what was probably the millionth time in my short existence in this world. It wasn't like I could defend myself with the fact I was technically old enough to be their fucking mother and perfectly capable of keeping myself out of trouble, so I accepted defeat with open arms.

"Yes, little Uchiha, I am here." I was greeted with discontented looks and unnecessary foot tapping. Kabuto stood tentatively by my side, his eyes going back and forth from me to the duo of Uchiha interlopers. Was I supposed to introduce him? That would be awkward, considering he hadn't even told me his name yet.

"Mikoto told you to stay in the compound! You had us worried sick!" Instead of voicing his thoughts like his much louder sidekick (or maybe _he_ was the sidekick), Itachi had his arms crossed with disapproval written clearly on his features. I think it was supposed to make me feel bad for my actions, but instead he just looked like an upset kitten, and it was precious.

"Sorry, guys, I just kind of wandered out of the gates on accident, I guess." Neither of them bought it, and now they were even angrier. _Great_.

"Lying to us isn't necessary, Hanami." Itachi chided, and I pushed my overgrown bangs from my forehead and refrained from sighing… _again_. Between being coddled by my friends, the possible death of those friends and my sister, plus all of the other bullshit to take into consideration, I was ready to just collapse somewhere and say _'Fuck it'_. And I would've, had I been a quitter. "But that isn't what's important right now. Rin and her team have returned home." It felt like my heart and lungs were put on pause. I grabbed him by the shoulders, my fingers in a death grip around his slender frame.

"A-are all of them back- is Obito with them?" Itachi was confused by my question, but nodded nonetheless. "Where are they?"

"They're in the Hokage's office debriefing their mission." I attempted to dart into the general direction of the Hokage's residence before Shisui's arm wrapped snuggly around my midsection. I writhed and squirmed in his strong grasp, but he didn't relent.

"Uh, nope. Not yet, Hanami-chan. Mikoto-san nearly chased you down once she realized you ran out of the house in your pajamas. We're getting you cleaned up first." I wanted to scratch his fucking eyes out. My hands slapped and clawed at him until he sat me down. I huffed, but my immense saltiness was quickly swept away by the most excitement I had felt in a very long time. He was _ok_. He was in one piece, I was pretty sure. They were _alive_. One plot bunny down, several more to go. With a bounce in my step, I raced in front of my overly concerned best friends, grabbing their hands in the process. Kabuto stood still, utterly dumbstruck. I turned around and waved to him, walking backwards towards the direction of the Uchiha District.

"Maybe I'll be seeing you, Kabuto!" For once, I wasn't concerned about what effect my choice of words might end up leaving onto the people involved. I was smiling- a real, _genuine_ smile for what felt like an eternity. The chapter wasn't over yet, but at least we were a few pages closer to the climax. I could allow myself some happiness, even if it was probably momentary. I didn't waste another second before I faced forward again, dragging Itachi and Shisui along with me.

"W-wait! How do you know my name?" He didn't receive an answer before the three of us disappeared behind the side of a building, my smile not once faltering.

•

 **Rin**

"…We then successfully demolished the Kannabi Bridge, promptly returning home to the village with no further conflict." As the appointed captain of the mission, Kakashi gave the mission report in place of sensei. I still had both his and Obito's hands held tightly in my own, and I didn't plan on letting go of either of them any time soon. We were battered, bruised and exhausted, but we were alive and not missing any body parts... _well,_ except for Kakashi, but losing an eye is alot better that say, getting your arms and legs blown off. Sensei stood off in the corner, his smirk not going unnoticed. It took four _freaking_ years, but we finally acted as a team- and it looked like Kakashi maybe didn't hate us anymore.

"If that's all, you are free to go." The Hokage was as genial as always as he puffed from his pipe periodically, a small grin tugging at his lips. I let out the breath I had been holding in for what felt like the entire mission. Kakashi gently untangled his fingers from mine, and I tried not to miss the warmth that his hand had provided. He pushed open the large doors that led to the hallway, and held one of them open for Obito and me to exit. There had been a drastic shift in his demeanor over the course of the last few days, and I wasn't sure if it was permanent or if it would wear off as we settled back into the normal swing of things. I wanted to be friends with Kakashi- I always have. And if he would allow it, I'd be there for him like I was there for Obito. But only time would tell, I suppose.

"Kushina should be home later on tonight. I know she'll want us to go out for dinner, so I'm expecting to see all three of you there." He sounded stern, but the mirth in his eyes broke his mask of formality. _God_ , actual food sounded pretty great right about now. We walked down the hallway and towards the exit of the building, after I had wrapped my hand back around Kakashi's; really just to see if he would pull away, and to my surprise, he didn't. Sensei pulled the door open for us this time, and we walked through the threshold with a unanimous sigh of relief- except for Kakashi, who took a more visual approach; his shoulders slacked, and he took a deep, steady breath. The morning sun shone brightly down on us, and I honestly couldn't remember a time I felt so at ease.

"Looks like there's someone here to see you, Rin." Obito could barely contain his smile as he motioned his free hand to Hanami as she darted down the street, Shisui and Itachi close at her sides. Her long hair whipped freely behind her as she came to stop in front of us, her chest rising and falling erratically as she regained her breath. I had never seen her eyes and smile shine so brightly in the entire time I had known her, and it was absolutely beautiful. I dropped to my knees and pulled her into a snug embrace, and she hugged me back with as much strength as she could. I darted my arm out and tugged Obito's pant leg. He crouched down next to me, and held his arms out for Hanami to fall into. She clung to that boy for dear life for several moments, but I'm sure he didn't mind being snuggled nearly to death. Kakashi was next on her list, as she wrapped her arms around his legs. He patted her head awkwardly. It was a start.

She kept relatively quiet for the remainder of the day, up until Kushina returned home and drilled her about her stay at the Uchiha compound over dinner. Apparently, Shisui talks and kicks in his sleep, much to the embarrassment of the boy in question. Who by the way, along with Itachi, didn't leave my sister's side until they were drug home by their fathers. I didn't know what it was about Nohara women, but it seems like Uchiha are drawn to us like dark haired magnets.

"I want to show you something." She looked at me curiously, but complied nonetheless. I grabbed my sleeping bag from my backpack, also picking Hanami up in the process. I moved her until she was on my back with her legs wrapped around my waist. Pushing open our bedroom window, I pulled us onto the roof. It was quiet, save for the song created by the crickets. I sat her down, making quick work of unraveling my sleeping bag. She tucked herself under the blanket and drew closer into my side.

"…where do you want me to start?" The thousand questions that had been resting on the tip of my tongue suddenly vanished.

"Wherever you feel like you should, Hanami-chan." She ducked her head in the crook of my shoulder. I ran my hands gently through her hair, enjoying the feeling of the night breeze as it flung strands of my hair into my line of vision.

"Well, I guess I should say first that it was a dare…"

•

 **Fun Fact: Rin is my favorite female character in Naruto. Why, I really don't know. I guess it's because of the role she played in who Kakashi became as a person, and of course, the impact her death had on Obito. A close second are Anko and TenTen, because I can't decide which one I like better. My least favorite is Hinata. I would go into why exactly I don't like her as much as I do, but that would he another 5,000+ words that I don't think anyone is interested in reading.**


	17. Chapter Fifteen:

•

 **Chapter Fifteen: Wherein the Nohara sisters become even closer, Rin keeps her promise and it rains.**

•

 **"I realized then, as dreadful as the guilt that consumed me was, that I needed Rin to live more than anyone else."**

 **Hanami**

It had been a wild ride, from start to finish. Rin lied there in silence the entire time as I spilled my guts into her lap, only interjecting once to scold me on my under aged drinking and the dangers of peer pressure. I didn't end up telling her _everything_ , but I covered what needed to be at the moment; from who I had been before, to what her fate had been originally, to how it would affect Obito and Kakashi. She was still wrapping her head around the fact that she was (still is?) an anime character, and me being a reincarnation of a manically depressed teenage girl, of course. Also, on what the hell "anime" even is. I summed it up as being life ruining trash that protects the virginity of all who views it. That seemed to make sense to her, so nothing else was said about the subject.

I fell asleep on the roof with her that night, but woke in the warmth of our heavy duvet and the sound of our shower running. Checking the clock, my eyes widened at the realization that I had slept for nearly twelve hours. Damn. That was a first. Rin returned to our small bedroom in pajamas with a towel around her shoulders. I was anticipating her treating me differently, but her smile was just as warm and loving as it had been before. She had explained her nightmares in depth after I had gotten off of my chest everything I felt like I should've at the moment. It _definitely_ wasn't something that I had expected, at all. I guess I had just assumed that my presence here wouldn't have had that kind of effect on anyone in the way that it did her. Hopefully, she was the only one.

"Good morning, Sleepy Head." Rin kissed my cheek as she sat down across from me. There were a lot of things I felt like saying, but fell short on actually being able to convey them. Things didn't have to be different in a negative light, as long as she still loved me the same. "We need to talk."

"Good morning to you, too, dear sister of mine. Are you sure we didn't cover pretty much everything last night?" There was a mischievous glint in her eyes as she stood again, returning to her seat on our shared futon with a flier in her hand. It displayed an ad for an apartment complex that had recently been built further into the village. I raised my brows as my eyes scanned over the flimsy sheet of paper. Low rent, and in a good section of the village. I was fucking sold.

"Oh, my god. Are we moving? Rin, _please_ say we're moving." She wagged her head excitedly; I couldn't contain myself as a shrill squeal of happiness filled the room. God, between our perverted neighbors and the stray cats that always seem to find a way into our apartment, it was a surprise either of us even still had our sanity intact. Actually, I had probably lost that the minute Rin Nohara became my older sister.

"The building is still under construction, but I've already paid the first few months' rent. It'll be move in ready within the next few weeks!" Obito doesn't get crushed by a rock _and_ we get to move the hell out of this crumbling shit-hole? What a sequence of completely welcomed and unexpected events. With that, we exited our bedroom and went into the kitchen to get started on breakfast. We had just sat down with rice and tea, when our door was nearly busted down by someone's insistent knocking.

"Who could that be this early…" Rin unlatched the lock on our front door and pulled it open apprehensively. I had expected it to be Obito, but instead, it was a red faced Kurenai Yūhi. I knew her fairly well, as she was one of my sister's closest friends. But why she was banging our door down at ten in the morning was beyond my comprehension.

"Why didn't you tell me you and Obito were dating, Rin!?"…cue my slack jawed stare directed at my sister. Now that I was thinking about it, could that have been why they were acting so equally flustered around each other? Then of course, Obito's unabashedly kissing Rin's cheek. It made sense; but what didn't, was why I was just now finding out about it. But I guess if I had learned anything in the last few days, is that Rin didn't necessarily share every juicy detail about her innermost thoughts or actions with me.

"W-wait, what? Where did you hear that?" Rin ushered Kurenai inside, shutting the door soundlessly. She took to the chair opposite mine and shot me a quick smile. Truthfully, Kurenai was another person I had never really thought much about, and any time I had ever been around her, Asuma was close behind. If they weren't already sneaking off behind buildings and going down on each other, it was fast approaching. Ah, to be teenaged again.

"Well, Obito was acting all weird- well, weirder than usual, and Asuma and Ibiki wouldn't leave him alone until he told him what was up. He said something about you two going on a date- why didn't you tell me?" She playfully swatted Rin's thigh. Her face was scarlet, and she stumbled over her words as she tried to form a reply. I watched her crash and burn with a smirk on my lips as I sipped from my glass of orange juice. I had been silently rooting for Obito from the sidelines since I had transitioned from being shit-my-pants horrified of him to loving him like I would a brother. I didn't think Rin was obligated in any way to return his affections, but it definitely wouldn't bother me to see him get the happy ending that he always wanted- the one he was willing to throw the world into a genjutsu for. But Obito would be an entirely different person, now. Or at least, I was fairly positive he would be.

"Y-yeah, um…yeah." She really was adorable. Kurenai looked at her expectantly. "It um… It just sort of happened. I guess I just decided to give him a shot." There was a lot more that she was leaving out, but Kurenai bought it, so there was no more elaboration on the subject. We ended up ditching our breakfast and going out with Kurenai, both of my hands being held by them as we walked through the busy streets of Konoha. The more we walked, the larger my smile grew. Well, this was going to be interesting.

"So, how have things been going with Asuma?" Instantaneously, Kurenai's cheeks became engulfed in a rosy blush. She smiled shyly, and tucked a stray section of curly hair behind her ear. Getting a good look at her now, I really wondered why I hadn't ever thought much about her. She was totally my type. Not that I would ever voice that realization, but I digress.

"Really well, I think. He hasn't come out and said he like likes me yet, but we've gone out to eat a few times just by ourselves, so…I think we're a thing." They shared a smile and an angelic giggle. It's not official until you jerk 'em off under his parent's dining room table. Not that I would know from experience, or anything. Cue the wink and the consequential nudging.

"Hey there, ladies." It was the object of Kurenai Yūhi's wet teenage dreams, otherwise going by Asuma Sarutobi. With him was Ibiki, Izumo and Kotesu, all seated at the ramen stand. Asuma swiveled around in his chair, the smirk on his face shifting into a soft smile at the sight of his future baby mama. It was going to be a goddamn shame if he still ended up dead, too.

"Hey, guys. Have you seen Obito?" Rin came off casual, but I noticed how she almost shivered as she said his name. Damn, sis. Tame your ovaries.

"No, not today. Why? You want to schedule your date or something?" Next to Asuma, Ibiki sniggered as he gulped down another bite of his ramen. Kurenai slapped at his arm, but it didn't make his grin lessen- if anything, it grew into Cheshire proportions. Kotetsu sprang from his chair and triumphantly rubbed his hands together, while Izumo slumped forward and slammed his head against the table.

"Pay up, douchebag!" The other boy begrudgingly dug his wallet out of his pocket and thrusted an alarmingly large wad of cash into Kotetsu's grabby hands. Rin witnessed the exchange with a twitchy brow and flushed cheeks. She folded her arms over her chest, seemingly having an inner war with herself in trying to get her blush to subside.

"Actually, _yes_. And stop laughing, Ibiki. I fail to see what's so damn funny." _Ooh_ , she's pulling out the naughty words. The laughs died down until all that remained were lingering chuckles.

"Hey, we're just having a little fun. So, how'd he convince you? Did he get on his knees and beg, use a love potion, or did you just feel bad for him?" Ibiki inquired casually, his taunting smirk ever-present. Rin was digging her nails into her arm, her lip twitching like she was seconds away from completely boiling over. I stepped in front of her with my hands on my hips, giving Ibiki the glare of death with added over protective sisterly undertones.

"Well, at least someone as gorgeous as my sister wants to date him, Morino. I don't see girls lining up for your sorry butt." And boom goes the friggin' dynamite. Asuma none-too subtly reached his had forward and pounded his fist against mine. The mandatory 'OOOOOOH' was dished out by Kotetsu and Izumo, and my sister attempted to hide her giggle behind the back of her hand, albeit unsuccessful. His jaw fell slack for a moment, but was quickly shut and replaced by a sneer.

Get fuckin' _rekt_ , Ibiki.

"Rin!" Speak of the handsome devil, Obito approached us with a shopping bag in one hand and green tea ice cream in the other. I reached my hand up and grabbed for it, but he gladly gave it to me along with affectionately ruffling my hair. Obito Uchiha was a precious cinnamon bun; too pure, too good for this world.

"Hey, Obito." Since there was no seats, I was pulled up onto Asuma's lap to enjoy the show, and as a thank you, shared my ice-cream. I think I made a new friend. Go me.

"Uh… I was wondering if I could talk to you about, you know…" If even possible, her cheeks grew redder. I shoveled another bite of ice cream into my mouth and then into Asuma's, not once taking my eyes off of the budding romance in front of me. This was better than a soap opera.

"…About the date?" She asked, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat and tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

"Well, that too." he licked at his lips, his cheeks now taking on a color much like my sister's. "And… the _other thing_." He took a jab at subtlety and made a slight motion at me, but it didn't go unnoticed. Asuma and Kurenai exchanged a look and a shrug. Did the _'thing'_ allude to the whole reincarnation bit? It made sense that she would've told him, especially if it had happened recently. Hm. What an interesting development.

"Oh, that. Uh…" She peeked at me from over her shoulder; I suppose looking for my approval. I nodded, so she turned her attention back to Obito. "Yeah, we can talk about it over dinner, if you want." It was officially a contest of 'Which Nerd can Blush the Hardest'. I immodestly coughed into the back of my hand, causing both of them to jump and look back at the six other people they had seemingly forgot were there.

"Uh, how does tonight sound? There's this new restaurant opening up, and it looks like something you'd like." His hand moved to the back of his head, keeping his eyes anywhere but Rin. She teetered back and forth on the balls of her feet with her hands tucked snugly behind her.

"I'd like that." …And the wheels on the ship go round and round, round and round, round and round. The wheels on ship go round and round, now fucking _KISS_. I refrained from whispering to Rin for her to fulfill my OTP fantasies, and instead remained seated on Asuma's lap with my arms crossed and a smug look on my face. You go, Obito.

"Well, um, I need to get these groceries home. I'll call you, ok?" Rin darted her eyes from Obito to her friends, and after a long moment, grabbed Obito by the collar of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. And like a total soccer mom, I cheered loudly, clapping after they pulled part. Asuma's mouth hung open, so Kurenai lifted it closed with her pointer finger. Somehow, by the grace of every god and the entire Universe, he managed to walk off with a bounce in his step without tripping and falling on his ass.

I was right. Today was going to be very, _very_ interesting.

•

 **Rin**

Was it seriously _that_ hard to believe that I agreed to go on a date with Obito? And also, was his crush on me really that much of a running gag? It made me mad, but I've always had a hard time expressing anger, so I kept my lid on tight. After my exchange of both words and spit with Obito, I collected my sister from Asuma's lap, said my goodbyes to Kurenai and headed straight home. I wasn't embarrassed, or anything; actually pretty darn satisfied from the looks I received after kissing him in front of everyone. But I really just needed to cool down, and maybe fill my sister in on the recent developments in my previously nonexistent love life.

"Y'know, I've been waiting for this for _years_." She said, having strewn herself lazily across our couch. My blush deepened, if that were even in the realm of possibilities at this point. "I'm sure Obito has, too."

"I know he has, Hanami. I know." I ran my hand through my hair with a huff. My heart was being pulled in opposite directions. At one angle, I didn't want my friendship with him to be ruined if we pursued a romantic relationship besides just kissing each other randomly, and have it not work out. The other part, a section of myself I think that I had been repressing for a very long time, wanted to date him, and kiss him, and hold his hand in public and generally just be obnoxiously into each other around our friends, because they had never imagined, and was even willing to bet on its improbability, that the day where any of that would've been possible would come.

"Well, do you like him back?" The smirk slipped from her features for a moment, genuine curiosity now in her eyes.

"I… I do, yeah." It felt strange, confiding in my five year old sister about my kind-of relationship. But then again, she was technically twenty-two. It's only weird if you make it weird, as said by the previously mentioned twenty-two year old stuck in a child's body.

"Well, then what's wrong?" She pushed herself up from the stiff couch, and patted her hand on the cushion next to her. I wasn't sure why, but I had a feeling I was about to be dished out some knowledge, Hanami Nohara style.

"I just… we've been friends for so long, y'know? And I don't want anything to change between us if things don't last." I leaned my head over onto her shoulder, blowing air through my nostrils. Romance was dumb.

"Well, fortunately for you, I have quite a bit of experience in this sort of thing." she ran her hand over my hair, quietly humming to herself. "In my last life, I had a best friend I had known since I was four- we were practically connected spiritually. I was twelve when I realized I liked him as more than a friend, and fifteen when I realized I was basically in love with him. I thought the feelings would go away as time went on, but they didn't." I situated myself until my head was resting on her lap. All of a sudden, the distant look in her eyes I had grown to know so well replaced the mirth she had been wearing from today's events. "I dated a lot of people, I guess to try and see if I could get over him, never really succeeding. When he was getting ready to leave for school, he told me he had had a crush on me for a while, but that he'd gotten over it because he thought there was no way that I felt the same. It made me wonder, 'Hey. If I just would've asked him how he felt about me a long time ago, maybe we'd be together now.' If you don't at least try, you're going to wonder for the rest of your life how things could've been, had you just been brave to take the first step… or maybe you won't. I don't know. I must just be really sentimental."

" _Whoa_ …" Now _that_ was just depressing. I wasn't in love with Obito; that much I was certain. But I did like him, more than I probably should.

"Yep, woe is me. Just go on a date with him, maybe a few. I know you really don't want to get his hopes up or anything, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't at least give it a shot. And by the looks of it, you like him." And she was absolutely right. I sighed heavily. It didn't matter how unsure I felt; I wasn't backing out on him. I made a promise, and I intended to keep it.

I _did_ end up getting a call from Obito about an hour later. His voice was hushed and the line cut out several times, but the plans were made. Tonight, eight o'clock. My stomach was doing a series of summersaults as I stood in front of the mirror, inspecting every aspect of my appearance. I wasn't anything special, I didn't think. In that sense, I had always kind of envied Kurenai. She was beautifully unique, while I was positively, every day ordinary. I smoothed out the wrinkles in my dress and pulled my hair back with a headband, but discarded it almost immediately. Dammit. This was a lot harder than it should be. I jumped at the sound of someone knocking at our front door, slightly relieved that Hanami offered to answer it.

"Hey, Obito. She's almost ready." I clenched and unclenched my fists. Why was I so nervous? It was just Obito. Or maybe at some point Obito had transitioned from being _just_ Obito to something entirely different. I took several deep breaths, then a few more. At that moment, I was glad I hadn't told Kushina. She had the extraordinary ability of making awkward situations a thousand times worse with a single wave of the hand.

Not wanting to keep him waiting, I grabbed my purse, looked in the mirror again, and dashed out of bedroom. Too quickly, because I almost crashed into the wall. Sheesh. I am officially the biggest nerd in the history of the hidden villages.

"R-Rin! Hey!" At the sight of him, the blush I had been keeping at bay spread over my cheeks. He had a bouquet of multi-colored peonies held tightly in his hands, his outfit one I hadn't ever seen him in before. "You… you look beautiful." From her place against the door, Hanami had the biggest, most triumphant grin I had ever seen her wear.

"Thank you, Obito. You do, too." As soon as the words left my mouth, I slapped my forehead. Oh, my god. "I m-mean, you look hot…I mean, _handsome_!" I felt like I was burning alive. Hanami crackled, clamping her hands over her mouth to try and contain her laughter. Obito's cheeks were just as inflamed as mine, so at least I wasn't the only one embarrassed. There was a moment of awkward silence between us, the only sound being Hanami's wheezing.

"Thanks." He scratched his hand along the side of his face, and extended the bouquet for me to take them. "I know camellias are your favorite, but I thought you'd like these, too." I held them to my nose and inhaled the sweet scent. I smiled, and placed them in a vase that we kept on the dining room table.

"They're perfect, Obito. I love them." We shared a long look, before the eye contact was interrupted by Hanami clearing her throat into the back of her hand.

"You said the reservations were at eight, right, Obito-nii? It's seven forty. You should probably get going." I didn't like the thought of leaving Hanami all alone, regardless of how old she technically was or how capable she is of watching out for herself. She was still my little sister. Still, Obito reached for my hand and took it, guiding me to the front door.

"Are you sure you can handle things by yourself, Hanami-chan?" She sighed in faux exasperation, and swatted both Obito and me on the behind.

"Yes, yes, I'll be absolutely fine. Technically twenty two years old, remember?" Obito stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her, his hand scratching behind his head.

"Yeah, um, could we sit down and talk about that, later? It's… it's really confusing." For whatever reason, wrapping my head around things and finding sense in places where most people wouldn't was surprisingly easy for me. I couldn't really imagine what it must be like for Obito, who one minute saw my sister as the little girl she presented herself as, and the next he came to the discovery that she was far from your typical child. A knowing smile tugged at her lips.

"Of course. But, none of that right now. Go enjoy yourselves." Hanami practically shoved us out of the door, shutting it until it was cracked so she could peer at us from the inside. "I love you both!" She slammed it shut, and I heard her lock the door and the latch. I wanted to pry it open and hug the life out of her, but bottled the urges up and set them aside. Obito tangled his fingers with mine, smiling at me in a way that made something distinctively _not_ butterflies crash against the walls of my stomach. I wasn't sure what was wrong with me, but butterflies weren't really the correct metaphor when it to my feelings for Obito. Maybe angry bats being contained in a glass jar.

As we walked, the clouds slowly started to morph from white to a murky grey. I leaned closer into Obito. He guided me into the depths of the village, stopping in front of a restaurant I hadn't seen before. It was a traditional cafe, something I used to drag them to after missions, but this one seemed even fancier somehow. I tightened my hold on his hand and leaned my head against his shoulder as we walked inside. A woman at the front manned a podium, reading from a notebook that was placed on the surface.

"Uh, two for Obito Uchiha." She eyed us from head to toe, and once she was done lowering my self-esteem, flipped through the pages of the notebook before settling on one in the middle.

"Sorry, we gave your reservation to another waiting customer." He sputtered incredulously, and I was positive that if I hadn't of had such a tight hold on his arm, that he would've lunged at her.

"What do you _mean_ , gave our reservations away?" He slammed his fist down on the podium, the vibrations causing her glasses to slide down the bridge of nose. The woman remained unimpressed, and pushed her glasses back into place.

"Your reservations were at eight. Since you were not here, we gave them to another waiting customer. How is that so hard to understand?" I squinted at the clock that hung on a wall further into the restaurant; it was rive minutes past eight. Actually, I was pretty close to slamming her head against the wall myself.

"Obito, let's just go. It's alright." I wrapped both hands around his arm and pulled him gently towards the door we had just entered through. He deflated and let me drag him, flipping the woman the bird once we were outside again. I pulled him further down the street until the cafe was out of sight, guiding him behind a building so he could cool down. "Really, Obito. It's fine."

"But it's not, Rin. I wanted tonight to be perfect." He sighed through his nostrils and pushed his bangs away from his forehead. I took a step toward him, then another, and placed a kiss against his cheek.

"It'll be perfect no matter what." I grabbed his hand again, smiling as his cheeks became flushed. A loud crack of thunder whipped across the sky; it hadn't grown any darker, so I wasn't going to be insisting we go home for cover just yet. "You know, I haven't had barbecue for a while. I know you really like that place by the market." I pulled myself in closer to him, and leaned my head onto the side of his arm like I had before. We started in the direction of the barbecue place when another bout of thunder shook my eardrums, followed by a flash of lighting. Not a moment later, a single rain drop pelted the side of my cheek.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me." I looked to the surrounding buildings, just now noticing that all of them had 'Closed' signs hung in the windows. We stood for another moment, before the single rain drops turned into a downpour. Obito cursed and took off his jacket, holding it above our heads to shield us from the rain. We darted to a gazebo in one of the nearby parks, thankfully this one having walls concealing the insides. Obito leaned against it, cursing under his breath as he rung the water out from his jacket. I slid down until I was in a seated position and hugged at my sides. We'd be lucky if we didn't catch a cold.

"…I'm sorry, Rin." He was slumped against the walls of the gazebo, one leg extended forward and the other pulled to his chest. He also wasn't looking at me, and instead focused his attention on his clenching and unclenching fist. I bent towards him, my knees still tucked under me, and reached for his hand.

"You didn't do anything wrong, unless controlling mother nature is one of your talents." I pursed my lips when the frown remained on his face.

"I just… I wanted our first date to be perfect. And of course, everything went wrong." his voice was low and bitter, and I was surprised he wasn't pouting yet. "First the cafe, and then it fucking rained! God…" He roughly raked his hands through his hair and over his scalp. A violent shiver wracked my body, and I tried to rub some warmth back into my limbs. The grief in his expression doubled.

"…What's so great about me, anyway?" I played with the damp hem of my dress to keep myself busy, the storm outside still not letting up.

"What do you mean?" He leant forward, his arms now crossed over his chest. Out of habit, I bit the inside of my cheek.

"Why do you like me so much? I'm not that special." I moved my eyes from him down to my hands. Obito had always treated me like I was the most fascinating creature to ever roam the earth, and I had never understood what had made me so deserving. Not that it wasn't flattering, or anything. He didn't say anything for a moment, only shifting both legs until they were extended out in front of him.

"…you were the only person that's ever really made the effort of being my friend." he scratched at the side of his face again, this time looking outside instead of at me. "Everyone else only started talking to me because you did. But you… you've always been there for me. It took me so long to come out and say that I loved you, because I always thought you would never look at me that way, and that you were too good for me." My heart fluttered and slammed against my ribcage. I had always had a weird fixation on romance novels, but actually having lovely words like this spoken to you was an entirely separate experience. "…Y'know, when you kissed me at the hospital that day, I almost thought that you regretted it afterwards. Did you, Rin?" The question caught me off guard. He kept his eyes downcast, his dampened bangs falling over his brow.

"…in a way, I did. But… the more I thought about it, I realized that I liked you, and maybe have for a while. I… I like you a lot, actually." He ran his tongue across his bottom lip, his eyes darting back and forth between my eyes and my mouth. Kurenai had said she had read somewhere that boys would do that if they wanted to kiss you, but for the first time since the day I decided Obito Uchiha was going to be my first kiss, I wasn't finding the courage needed to lean forward and seal the deal in the place where it should've been. It was official. Obito Uchiha was turning me into a hormonal, blushing disaster of teenaged girl. "Uh…the storm is letting up. Walk me home? We can try again later." I moved to stand, but he reached his had outwards and gripped my hand.

"U-uh, can we wait a moment?" He was flustered again, and as much as the urge to up and run threatened to sway my decision, I sat still against the wall of the gazebo. "I…I want to kiss you now, if that's alright."

"It's not like we haven't done it before, you dork. You don't need to ask." He gave me a pointed look that caused me to giggle, that he silenced when he pressed his lips firmly against mine. I guess it was a pretty efficient way to get me to shut up. And all at once, those bats I mentioned earlier were back with a vengeance.

We stayed there until the storm eased to a sort-of stop, and after that, walked hand in hand in the light pitter patter of rain. I didn't know if this officiated things, but if it did, I was completely fine with that. Hm. Even I have to say this was a pretty unexpected turn of events.

•

 **Hanami**

They weren't even gone for an hour before the storm completely doused their parade into the shitter. I sat worriedly by the window, wishing that every scurrying person that I saw dart through the storm would be them. Finally, they returned home after the torrential rain had relented in its assault on everyone's good day. I had decided to throw a pot of tea on and some towels into the dryer to warm up a while before they arrived, so that was what I greeted them with when they walked through the door.

"Well, sorry for your change in plans." I supplied them both a change a clothes; a nightshirt for Rin, and some too-big pants for Obito that we kept at the bottom of our drawer.

"It's alright." Despite their drenched skin and shivering bodies, they both managed to grin broadly like they hadn't a care in the world. "It's was still a good date." Rin and I shared a cheeky look, while Obito sipped his tea with a blush never seeming to subside. Whether it was Rin Nohara induced or just a flush from being introduced to indoor heating after beinn separated by the cold rain, I wasn't sure.

"Well, I just wish we could've eaten. I'm freaking starved." He made his way over the fridge and rummaged through it, and after pulling out a slew of ingredients I hadn't even known we had, declared, "I'm going to make us dinner, ok?" How could we object to a cute, shirtless dork cooking us dinner? It would've been preposterous to even to entertain the thought.

I'm sure he hadn't planned to be spending his first dinner date with Rin also accompanied by her little sister, but by the kiss he placed tenderly to the top of my head as he sat the plate of warm stir fry in front of me, I had a feeling that he didn't mind. If there was one thing that made any woman's ovaries quiver, it was a boy being affectionate towards a child. I was sure that by now, Rin's reproductive system was probably liquefied.

"So… about that whole reincarnation thing." We had been eating in silence when I decided it was time for a break in the mundane. Obito nearly choked on his rice, but managed to force the food down his throat without much damage. "When did she tell you?"

"At the hospital a few days ago." He kept his eyes on me, although I could tell he desperately wanted to direct them at something else. Suddenly, a laugh spilled out of my throat. Here we were in our pajamas, preparing to discuss how I somehow managed to be dropped off into this Universe like a parent would their child to a new school, but without the unhelpful "Good luck!" They gave me quizzical looks, but I waved my hand in the air in a dismissive manner. God, this was _hilarious_.

"That doesn't matter, now. You know things, and now you want answers." I sipped from my cup of tea with a low hum. "So, ask away. I'll answer any question you have for me." Honesty Hour was once again upon the Nohara household. His lip twitched once, then another time, like he was struggling to form the words that he wanted to speak. Rin placed her hand over his, resulting in him taking a deep, assured breath.

"…well, I guess I just want to know more of everything, really."

"Well first, you were book characters. Now, stop giving me that look, Obito, I'm dead ass serious. It was horrifying, coming to the realization I had been born here. It was the most ridiculous thing I had ever imagined, and worse."

"What do you _mean_ , characters in a book? That makes no sense." He sat on the edge of his seat like a child during story time. Rin sipped her tea, only paying half-attention. All this was really just regurgitated information to her, now.

"Meaning, fictional characters in a book series. I swear it's true. I had been reading it since I was ten, so I had been keeping up with the plot for about seven years before I died. I won't go into that part, as I'm sure you remember everything you need to know from what Rin told you. Or, did she not go over that?" Rin's expression suddenly grew very pained. "Ok, I'm guessing that she did. Great, moving right along. Basically, your life, and subsequently everyone else's, went downhill after the Kannabi bridge. Now, just bear with me for a bit…"

He sat there in stunned silence for the hour it took for me to unload the twist and turns of the plot into his lap. I even went into the Uchiha massacre side of things, causing Rin's attention to be brought back into the conversation. It was a first, but Obito's dark eyes were unreadable. After I was done and had gone back to casually sipping my now cold tea, he ran both of his hands down the length of his face. To ensure his trust, I went into detail of how his and Kakashi's encounter with the Iwa shinobi had transpired, much to his slack jawed astonishment. I think it really sealed the deal.

"This is just… _wow_." I watched as his body fell forward onto the table, crossing his arms over his head.

"No kidding, buddy." I grinned without much believability. I could tell that his outlook on me was shifting fast, and it was the kind of feeling that made my heart drop down into the acid of my stomach. "Look, I know you're confused, and probably a little scared, but I need you to trust me- trust us. And… you know, I love you like a brother. I don't want things to change just because you know about me now." His lips pursed, and the uneasiness I felt was turned up several notches.

"I… I love you too, Hanami. I love both of you, and I trust you. This is just going to take some adjusting, is all." He ran his hand through his mop of spiky black trestles, and reached for my hand afterwards. " _God_ , this is weird. I- I mean, I'm sure it's even weirder for you, but… goddamn, is this strange." That couldn't be any more an understatement of the century. I yawned then, my eyelashes suddenly feeling like they had hundred pound weights pulling them down at the ends. Since the light drizzle had transitioned back into a downpour, Obito was a given a blanket, permission to sleep on our couch and a kiss on the cheek goodnight from both my sister and me, who piled up onto our futon with an uncertainty hanging in the air above us.

Obito had stayed in Madara's care, if you could even call it that, for about six months. Given that, we should have about that amount of time until something occurs, if it even will. But there was something whispering in my ear, like a snake hissing ominously from its place in the grass, that it would come to us much sooner. But one thing was certain; Rin Nohara was going to live. There was no other option.

•

 **I had so much fun writing this chapter, it was unreal. Next one on the list is the one I think we've really been waiting for; does Rin die, or does she live?! You'll just have to wait and see. It'll be up probably over the next two or so days.**

 **Fun Fact: I also low-key (or not so low-key) ship Kakashi/Obito. And Itachi/Shisui. Also, Sakura/Ino. I have an unhealthy obsession with gay ships, apparently. None of those will become a part of this story, but maybe in some one shots if I can ever untangle myself from Hanami and her shenanigans. Speaking of whom, I've noticed that the more I draw her with Itachi, the cuter I think they look together. Take from that what you will.**


	18. Chapter Sixteen:

•

 **Chapter Sixteen: Wherein a premonition proves true, someone bleeds and Sakura says hello.**

•

 **"…But there was something whispering in my ear, like a snake hissing ominously from its place in the grass, that it would come to us much sooner."**

 **Hanami**

I woke that day with the sort of uneasiness in your bones that makes alarms immediately go off in your head. It was March twenty-eighth, the date causing bells to chime in the back of my mind, but for reasons that I couldn't quite remember. I had slept in the hospital with Rin the night before, so maybe it was just the pungent scent of disinfectant and past and present deaths that was forcing the anxiety through my veins, and not that something was abnormally amuck. But honestly, it was probably the latter. The Universe was unforgiving ninety percent of the time, and the chance that today was falling into the other ten felt highly unlikely.

I crossed my arms over the window plane as rain pelted down on the thick glass like bullets. The melancholy weather only added to the tension within the walls of the hospital. The war had drastically fallen into the favor of Konohagakure since the destruction of the Kannabi Bridge nearly two weeks ago, so at least there was that. The worst part about waiting for Rin's reckoning to come to the forefront was that I had no idea when or how it even happened in the first place. The details were never shared explicitly, if I recalled right. It just cut to her getting kidnapped, having the three tails shoved into her then her suicide at Kakashi's hand. But things were different, now. I just had to remind myself of that.

"Are you hungry, Hanami-chan?" It was the source of all of my restless nights and unconditional love, otherwise known as Rin Nohara. She offered me a bento box, but I waved my hand dismissively. If I ate anything right now, I was sure it would be liquefied and covering the floors in no time at all. She sighed, and sat down in the chair to my right. It never rained this harshly in Konoha. It left me convinced that it was a bad omen.

"What's the matter?" She reached her hand over and brushed a stray section of hair behind my ear. It was usually something that had the ability to piece back together my frazzled nerves, but it failed to have that kind of effect on me today.

"…it's just nerves, I guess." Rin had done her part to prevent her death and Obito's sort of one, and mostly, she had succeeded. Obito wasn't fifty percent Hashirama cells with homicidal thoughts, and she technically wasn't in the line of fire. But a few steps in the right direction didn't guarantee anything, no matter how much I wished that it did. This world had a thousand twist, turns, and infinite loop holes. There was no definite this, or absolute that. Anything could happen.

"Everything is going to be fine, Hanami-chan. Please, don't worry anymore." Worrying was kind of all I seemed to be capable of. There was a quiet knocking at the door, and followed by it was Obito, clad in his flak jacket and standard Konoha uniform. They had begun deploying a few skilled chūnin, but the Hokage was adamant on not having a repeat of the last war; so many had been as a last ditch effort, and not all came back in one piece, or at all. He'd be fine, I told myself. No need to bite my nails over his wellbeing, too.

"Hey, guys. We're getting ready to head out." Said Obito as Kakashi joined the party, leaning lazily against the doorframe as apathetically as usual. He had taken to covering his empty eye socket with his hitai-ate like before, just this time it wasn't concealing a borrowed Sharingan. He gave me a slight wave, which I returned with a halfhearted smile. Kakashi had grown on me quite a lot over the last few years. If the feeling was mutual, I wasn't sure.

"Hey, you two." She pulled herself from the chair and stopped only a foot or two in front of Obito. They hadn't gone on another date, but the ship hadn't sunken quite sunken yet. Rin eyed Kakashi until he strode over to her, his hands buried deep into his pockets. His characteristic nonchalant attitude had started to surface, if only slightly. He was getting there.

"Obito was insistent that we say goodbye, even if we barely have enough time to." But of course, he was still the king of punctuality. He was just lacking the official crown, sash and throne. Maybe that could be his birthday present this year, if by then I could dodge kunai fast enough.

"Well, I'm glad you did." She sank her teeth into her lip, a nervous tick we both possessed. I'm sure there was a thousand things running through her mind that she knew she didn't have the time to say, or maybe she didn't know how to at all. "It's going to get pretty bad out there, you know…"

"Rin-chan, we're going to be _fine_ , I promise. Don't worry yourself so much." Obito reached forward and grabbed her shoulders, as if trying to shake her free of any of the concerns she might've had. Of course, it didn't work. Nohara, I was noticing, had a knack for worrying about anything and everything, no matter how reassured we may be. We must've gotten it from mom.

"I can't help it, Obito. You know that." Kakashi made a point of checking the time from the watch on his wrist that wasn't there. His new found smart assery was truly one of his redeeming qualities. Obito glared at him, but it went unnoticed, or more likely, completely ignored. Rin's eyes darted between the two, before she pulled them both into a tight embrace. She parted from them after a handful of moments, but kept her hands placed firmly on their arms.

"Please be safe, ok?" They nodded an affirmative, but it did little to cease the tension from between her brows. She placed a kiss to both of their cheeks, and after one last hug from each of them, waved their final goodbyes and left behind the hospital and my sister's concerned looks.

We sat back down, Rin looking significantly more down and out than before. I pulled my deck of Hanafuda from my pack and offered them to her, and she accepted them. We settled into a game of Koi-Koi silently, not even bothering to keep track on who was winning or losing. The hospital's usual traffic wasn't nearly as bad as it had been over the last few years, so she was pretty much free of any medic-nin duties, which I was fine with. I wanted her to be as close as humanly possible to me right now, as paranoid as it was.

Suddenly, the lights overhead began to flicker. Periodically at first, until the entire room was blanketed in darkness. _Great_. It's raining, we're in a spooky ass hospital, and the lights just went out. All we were missing now was the insane asylum patient wielding an axe.

"I'm going to go check on some of the patients in my shift, alright? You can come with me." _Pfft_. Like I was staying in here by my damn self. She took my hand in hers and guided me to the door. The hallway was surprisingly free of the scurrying medics and panicked voices like I had expected. Instead, it was oddly quiet, like we were the only ones in the entire building. Well, this was fucking spooky. She guided me down a hallway and up to a door, knocking on it gently before entering. Inside, a woman about Kushina's age lied wearily in the bed, her eyes ringed with a heavy darkness I knew all too well. Her right hand rested on her swollen belly. She was seconds away from popping, I was certain.

"Haruno-san, are you alright?" Rin asked, as the lights above began to dimmer back to life. I stood at attention. Haruno? It wasn't a clan, so there really would be only one family that would bare that name. Hm. Maybe that's why today felt so familiar. It must be Sakura's birthday. I darted my eyes around the room awkwardly, finding my way over to a chair in the corner of the room.

"I'm fine, Rin-chan." She said this as she shifted her bottom half over to the left slightly, wincing in the process. "The contractions are just getting worse, is all." Just wait until you get to the screaming, vaginal splitting birth part of it. I was _not_ sticking around for that, I promise you.

"Oh, well, I should check how dilated you are, then." I watched as Rin slapped gloves on and got down to business. The woman winced again, but remained motionless on the hard mattress. Watching your older sister plunge her hand into a stranger's vagina was as awkward as it sounds.

"I didn't know you were an obstetrician, too, sis." She spared me a glance, her mouth pulled into a halfhearted smile.

"Medic-nin are Jacks of all trade." The woman who I had once known the name of but had discarded some time ago took notice to me then, her head falling over into my direction. Her hair was strung all over her forehead and along the sides of her face, like she had spent the entire day tossing and turning.

"What's your name?" Her voice was a barely above a whisper. The tiredness from her eyes disappeared for a moment, and was replaced by a warmth I often received from Kushina or Mikoto. I willed myself to smile, even if it was tremendously hard to at the moment.

"Hanami."

"That's a beautiful name, Hanami-chan. I'm Mebuki." Her hand ghosted over her stomach once more as Rin withdrew her hands. It was weird, knowing Sakura was swimming around in there. It would probably even be more surreal seeing her as infant. Hopefully, she wouldn't be nearly as vexatious, but I wasn't going to get my hopes up. It was a rarity that I actually _liked_ a child younger than ten. Even then, I usually had to push aside the urge of slamming their heads against the nearest wall.

"You're at about nine centimeters, Haruno-san." The urgency in her expression only grew. She exhaled an unsteady stream of breath and her hand slapped against her forehead.

"Where the _fuck_ is my idiot husband?" I feel like the question was aimed at the forces of the Universe rather than it was anyone in particular. I straightened up in my chair and kicked my feet back and forth. The rain crashed down on the rooftop without mercy, and my heart began hammering against my ribcage for reasons I wasn't aware of. Do you ever get that suffocating, all-consuming feeling in your gut that something was horribly wrong? I wanted to ignore it, but found myself completely unable to.

"Sorry I'm late, dear." A man with muddled purple hair entered the room casually, shutting and locking the door behind him. It was odd, but the sound of his voice sent electric chills back and forth down my spine. I stood, keeping my eyes on him as I cautiously moved to behind my sister. I gripped at her skirt, keeping my eyes on his every movement as he strode over to stand near his wife. "How is everything?"

Despite the tremendous pain I knew she had to be in, Mebuki pushed her body upwards and stood from the bed. Rin tried to usher her back under the blankets, but she held her arm in front of my sister's chest.

"Who are you?" My heart clattered against the bottom of my stomach. Mebuki reached for a scalpel that was on a tray next to the bed and held it in front her defensively. If a woman who is so heavily pregnant she can hardly stand gets out of bed and goes for the nearest pointy object, you know something positively fucked was on your horizon. Rin's brows had been raised in alarm, but they slowly fell until her eyes were narrowed venomously.

"What you do mean, Mebuki? It's me, Kizashi." The woman sneered, and pushed Rin and me behind her. Rin shrugged her off and stepped forward, withdrawing a kunai from her sleeve that I hadn't even known she had been concealing. I should probably rely on gut feelings and whispered voices in the back of my head more often. Suddenly, the man's lips drew upwards into a wide, malicious smirk, one that looked completely out of place on his features. The transformation jutsu was cancelled, and replaced by it was the slender form of a man that instantly made invisible insects crawl under my skin.

Why the fuck was Orochimaru, of all assholes, tormenting a pregnant woman, a random medic and her young sister? I thought back to incident with Itachi and Shisui. Could that _seriously_ have something to do with this? What a fucking bastard.

"You kunoichi are always so observant." he traced his kunai along the metal enclosure surrounding the bed, the shrill sound causing my eardrums to throb. His slanted eyes focused in on me, taking on a humorous glint that made my knees buckle. He wouldn't have attacked me out in the open; but right here, right now, when the only witnesses were two women who he severely outclassed? We were all as good as dead. "Well, don't I know you from somewhere? Oh, yes, I remember you _quite_ well. Aren't so brave now, are you?" No, I was not. Actually, I was probably seconds away from passing out. Mebuki held the scalpel out in front of her, but not a moment later did her legs give out, a groan filling the dead silence of the room as she grabbed at her stomach. _For fuck's sake, Sakura_. This isn't the goddamn time for you to be making your grand entrance. Rin fell to her knees at Mebuki's side, leaving me momentarily defenseless. Before she could realize her mistake, Orochimaru's eyes came alive with a sort of glee that made any leftover food in my stomach want to have an introduction with the linoleum floors.

A serpent nearly half a meter long materialized out of the length of his sleeve, darting out before I could make the pitiful effort of running for my sister. It wrapped itself around my ankle and snapped me back and into Orochimaru's grasp. He seized my long ponytail and pulled me high into the air. I squirmed and thrashed, but any movements halted at the feeling of a kunai grazing the side of my throat.

Remember way back when, when I had mentioned that car crash? This felt nauseatingly similar. I blinked once, and suddenly images of everything that held the most minuscule amount of importance to the most weighted occurrences flashed violently behind my eyelids. My heart beat hammered fast and hard in my eardrums, and I was quickly losing the ability to breathe.

" _Hanami_!" Rin called after me with her hand outstretched as Mebuki hunched forward, another contraction wracking her body. I knew she had to feel as helpless as I did; there wouldn't be anything she could do to get him to relinquish his hold on me, unless she wanted us both to end up bleeding out on the ground. Or at least, I thought she was aware of that until she bolted upright with her kunai drawn. Any defiance was drained from her expression as the kunai dug a shallow cut into my skin. "Stop, you're hurting her!"

"Don't you worry your pretty little head. I'll be done with her in a moment." His finger nails dug deeper into my scalp, and I could feel some of the hair being pulled out of their follicles. For whatever reason, he had chosen me as leverage. Maybe standing up to him _had_ been an epically bad decision. " _Hm_. I knew he wouldn't be long." Confusion settled in next to the amounting fear, but not a second later, the door was thrown open and nearly off its hinges. A smothering air immediately fell into the room, causing tears to well in my eyes and my bladder suddenly feel abundantly full. Was this killing intent?

" _Orochimaru_." The voice was low and murderous, and it was one I was surprised to recognize immediately. The man spun around to face the intruder, the kunai grazing my skin more at the sudden movement. Jiraiya's eyes widened as his mouth fell slightly ajar, but any shock he may've been experiencing was quickly replaced by a vicious sneer. "Put the child down. _Now_." For a moment, the room was deathly silent. From the view I now had of the hallway, I noticed a bloody handprint smeared against the white paint of the wall.

"It's so nice of you to finally join us, Jiraiya. You're just in time." My eyes pleaded for help as he traced the kunai along my exposed clavicle in a teasing manner. I yelped as he drew the blade along the length of my neck, taking time to trace the tip around my jugular. My name escaped my sister's lips breathily, and I tried to ignore the stinging sensation of my first layer of skin being broken.

"Why are you doing this, Orochimaru?" There was a pleading undertone in the man's voice, but his eyes remained sharp and his hand near his weapon's pouch. He stepped one foot through the threshold, but stopped once the kunai was pressed harder against my skin. All of the muscles in my body went slack at the slick feeling of blood as it trickled down the newly inflicted cut and dropped onto my chest.

"Don't take another step, Jiraiya." I tried to focus my mind on the sound of Mebuki's strained breathing, and not on the urine that was now trickling down my leg and into a puddle at Orochimaru's feet. He made a disgusted sound from deep within his throat, and pulled the kunai deeper and farther down my neck. I didn't need to look at his face to know a broad, demented smirk was now in place on his ghastly features. "You're not nearly as fearless as you thought." The tears and snot fell freely down my face as my breathing slowed, my head becoming clouded over from the now increasing loss of blood. "Just a little while longer, and you won't feel any more pain, Hanami-chan. _I promise_."

I whimpered, my trembling hands grasping at the kunai he held tightly in his grip. Out of all the scenarios I had played out in my head of how I would die this time around, this wasn't anywhere near what I had imagined. A static like sound filled my ears as the seconds dragged on into minutes, the knife still digging into the opened flesh. I could faintly hear Rin move from behind Orochimaru, and for Jiraiya to call for her to stop. The blade swiped a final time across my skin, causing blood to splatter over Rin as her own kunai fell to the floor. I couldn't tell how deep the cut was as I was flung to the side, my crumpled body hitting the tile with a low thump. I reached for my neck, and my hands pulled away covered in warm blood. There was screaming and shouting all around me, but I couldn't distinguish which voice belonged to who as everything grew black.

Then, there was an incandescent, glaring white that I had experienced only once in my life before. I had a plummeting, awful feeling that it wouldn't be long now that I was screaming at the top of my lungs again, and thrown into the arms of another set of parents and siblings that I didn't want to replace the ones I had now.

I… I wasn't ready yet. But I guess it was too late.

•

 **Hanami**

My hands trembled as I helplessly watched Hanami being thrown across the room, her small body hitting the floor without sound. Orochimaru, a man I had only heard or seen being glorified along with the rest of the Sannin, suddenly began to morph and collapse into a pile of snakes, which then slithered along the floor around me in one clustered heap. My blood ran even colder as one made its way to my sister. I darted up and over to her defenseless body, and impaled the kunai into the very top of its skull. One darted out with its jaws held open, and Jiraiya made quick work of killing it along with the others. With shaky hands, I turned her body over to inspect the wound on her neck, but I couldn't see much through the tears.

I…I was supposed to protect her. I was supposed to make sure she was safe, not bleeding out on the cold hospital floor. I had stopped paying attention to anything else besides Hanami and trying to force my tears to subside when I heard Mebuki groan in pain. But… but she wasn't what was most important to me, now. H- _Hanami_ … she could _die_ if I don't act fast enough.

"Rin, get Hanami up onto the bed. Jiraiya, go get some damp rags. _Now_." Mebuki was leaning all of her weight against the side of the bed, her chest rising about falling with each heavy breath. I gently gathered my sister into my arms and tried not to shake too much, while Jiraiya looked us over one last time before he darted out of the room, returning with a bundle of wash cloths. He wet them in the hospital room sink and hand me one once he was finished. I wiped the blood off from her paling skin to better look at the incision. It wasn't a deep cut; it hadn't even broken past the skin, or hit one of her jugular veins. It would scar noticeably, but what's a scar as long as you're still breathing?

As my chakra sealed the laceration shut, Mebuki's labored breathing only intensified. She slumped down into the bedside chair as I wiped a stray tear away from my cheek, the cut now finally closed. Blood matted her hair and stained her clothing, but it was something that I could fix later.

"Mebuki! Mebuki, what the hell happened?" Kizashi, what I'm hoping is the real one, charged into the room panting, but not nearly as much as his wife. "Are you alright?" Really, what a silly question.

"Do I fucking _look_ alright to you?!" If she had been able to, I'm sure she'd be strangling him right about now. Jiraiya, who was now looking very uncomfortable, took Hanami from my arms as Kizashi and I helped Mebuki onto the blood stained mattress. I bit at my lip and supressed the urge to bust into another round of tears. _She was fine. She was fine. She was fine. She was fine_ … she had a wonderful, perfectly alive pulse and she was _fine_.

"Look, you two don't need to be arguing right now. Mebuki, lie down. Kizashi, take her hand. This baby is coming _right now_." Babies had a tendency of not waiting on anyone, even if their presence was inconvenient at the moment. In a puff of smoke, Jiraya summoned a clone who he gave the instruction to go and find Orochimaru, the name now making hate boil hot inside of me. Thankfully, he held my sister through the entire process, her body wrapped snuggly inside of one of the extra blankets. I couldn't help but think she'd never looked more fragile.

Sakura Haruno was born March Twenty-eighth at five thirty-seven P.M, surrounded by blood splatters, the dead bodies of snakes and even more devastation lying beyond the small room we inhabited. My heart constricted tightly in my chest when I realized we were the only chakra signatures in the hospital that I could sense.

•

 **So, the other day was New Perspective's month anniversary. In a month, it's gotten 70 reviews, 150 follows and 100 favorites! Thank you so, so much!**

 **Fun Fact: In the original draft, Obito died, Rin died, and Hanami was adopted by Minato and Kushina. Also, I paired her off with Kakashi. I still kind of ship them, to be honest.**


	19. Chapter Seventeen:

•

 **Chapter Seventeen: Wherein morning dawns, a revelation is had and Hanami cuts her hair.**

•

 **"** _ **She was fine. She was fine. She was fine. She was fine**_ **… she had a wonderful, perfectly alive pulse and she was** _ **fine**_ **."**

The harshest wound that had ever been inflicted upon me in my life before had been a broken arm. I had skipped school with my two eldest brothers and gone mountain biking, and I suppose the retribution for my dishonesty had been having my humerus fractured and an obnoxiously neon pink cast that I had to wear for nearly a year. In case you were wondering, my brothers came out unharmed and with only a slap on the wrist from Karma. She must just really have a strong distaste for my existence, I suppose.

I had been woken from my dreamless sleep by the low, nearly inaudible hum of a conversation. There was a dull throb at the base of my neck reaching all the way to the front of my clavicle, which my hand darted to immediately. I was confused at first as to why there was a massive and thick bandage in place over an alarmingly long patch of my skin, but the memory of the night before caused me to push myself up from the mattress with a sharp intake of breath.

 _Orochimaru. Kunai. Blood. Dying, again_. It hit me all at once and rammed into my body without remorse. Gentle but firm hands gripped my shoulders and attempted to soothe me back down onto the bed, but I trashed and writhed against them. My eyes shot open to be greeted by the alarmed faces of my sister, Minato, Kushina, and to my shock, Jiraiya. Oh, that was right. He showed up to apprehend Orochimaru, hadn't he?

"Hanami, Hanami, it's ok! You're safe!" It was Rin, whose chocolate colored eyes were now clouding over with tears that I knew she wouldn't allow to fall. Kushina, whose abdomen I was noticing was beginning to distend in the slightest way, outstretched her hands and wrapped them tentatively around my arm. I slowly settled back into the mattress, my chest still rising and falling harshly with each unstable breath. A cold gust of air drafted in through the open window, but it did little to chill the sheen of sweat that covered the surface of my skin. Nothing else was said until I could breathe like a normal human being and when I wasn't trying to make a run for it. My hand never left the now scarred section of my skin.

"…do you remember everything that happened last night?" Minato asked, his voice low and amiable.

"Yeah…yeah, I do." every last blood soaked, lurid detail, actually. The feeling of his unrelenting grip wrapped up in my hair, or the sensation of his kunai slicing through my skin refused to be ignored. A chill traveled down the length of my spine and across my skin. I _hated_ him. I _loathed_ him, I absolutely fucking _despised_ his existence. But also, I failed to understand the motive behind his actions. He wasn't that spiteful, was he? "Jiraiya." the man looked up at the sound of his name and raised a brow. "Tell me, do you know why he attacked the hospital?" By the looks I was now being given by all three adults, I knew that answers wouldn't come to me easily.

"That isn't something that needs to be discussed with a child." Minato nodded in silent agreement while Kushina only bit at her lip indecisively. Anger, red hot and inescapable, forced its way around my heart and squeezed. At the shift my brows had made into a narrowed slant, Kushina's eyes glowed with the look of the worried mother I didn't need. Today was not the day that I could properly deal with being treated like a know-nothing, fragile little girl.

"You two think I'm so smart, don't you? There's nothing that you'll say that I won't understand." I moved my eyes from Minato and Kushina, both of them wearing apprehensive looks. My teeth ground together as I held back the tantrum they hadn't wittingly provoked.

"Don't keep anything from her." Rin's voice was hushed, containing an edge she wouldn't normally use. They looked conflicted, but once Jiraiya had shrugged his shoulders and muttered 'Fine', their woes seemed to be temporarily swept aside.

"Orochimaru deflected from the village last night. We're not sure _why_ exactly, but we're guessing his clone's attack on the hospital had been a ploy to weaken Konoha's forces by killing off any medics stationed there and to distract us long enough for him to make his escape. He slaughtered everyone, including the patients, and you all were the last on his list. As to why he… _cut_ you like he did, considering it didn't even rupture a vein, it was more than likely just an attempt to traumatize you." Mission accomplished. The skin around the wound felt like it was crawling with insects, so I scratched at it through the bandage feverishly until my sister pulled my hand away.

"Well, it fucking worked." my voice was bitter, and my choice of words caused Kushina to immediately activate Mommy Mode. I ignored her tongue lashing, and instead focused my attention to the breeze as it tousled my hair. Nothing sounded better than a nice, long walk all by my _damn_ self right about now. I eyed the window, wanting nothing more than to throw my body out of it and into fresh air that Konoha mornings were famous for. I didn't feel like I needed it, but for the sake of not being a total brat, I decided on asking for their permission first. "Can I go for a walk by myself, please?" As expected, my request was instantly met with profuse objections.

"Absolutely _not_ , Hanami! You need to stay in bed and get more rest!" Kushina's voice reached a startlingly high octave, one typically reserved for a scolding. I felt a migraine coming on somethin' fierce. Rin appeared torn between giving into my plea and reacting much like Kushina was, but neither of them was given any more room to overreact.

"Let her go. He's nowhere in the village, I checked." Jiraiya and my sister shared a look, one I knew to be conveying a message I hadn't the correct insight to comprehend. Ninja were inconspicuous like that. Without even the inkling of a doubt, I knew that at least one of them would be trailing close behind me. As long as I didn't know of their presence, I could just act like they didn't exist. It was better than nothing. I flung the sheets from my body and stood from the bed, not sparing them another glance as I raced down the hallway and to the front door, where I kept an extra pair of shoes. I pulled them on hurriedly and threw the door open, ignoring the sound of their calls as I stepped over the threshold. Even though I had said "walk", what I really meant was run fast enough for the muscles in my legs to want to give out from under me.

I tripped over a rock as I ran down the dirt, but recovered quickly and resumed my fast pace. I wasn't sure where I intended to go, but far away from them and from everything sounded the best. After a moment, tears began to stream down my cheeks, but were whisked away by the wind along with my distastefully long hair. I didn't slow down until I came upon a lake, the tears still flooding my eyes as I sat down on the dock that led to the still water. The sobs only stopped after I had no more tears to cry, and even then, my body still heaved to the point of nearly causing me to puke.

I had never been more terrified in my entire life- or more humiliated. The adult inside of me that no one else knew of but my sister and Obito was screaming at the top of their lungs, demanding justice in the form of decapitation or something equally as brutal. But there was nothing I could do except to cry, like the child I had unwillingly reverted back to. It was laughably pathetic. A jolt of pain that originated from the closed over laceration near my collar bone wracked my whole body. My hand rubbed over it, still gently rocking myself back and forth as I peered down at my reflection. I was so far gone from myself now, both on a physical plane and a mental one. My hair was long enough now that it nearly reached my tail bone. Stands of it fell over my face and obscured my vision, and I forced them behind my ears. I had _really_ seen better days.

Experimentally, I dipped my toes into the water once my shoes had been discarded. I had once loved swimming; it was one of the rare things my middle brother and I could bond over. He had been on the swimming team since grade school, so I wasn't nearly as proficient as he was, but enjoyed it regardless. But, I think we all know what happened the last time I was anywhere near water. A humorless grin formed on my face. It was almost nostalgic, in a sick way. I stood, and as I did so, removed the long sleeved shirt I was wearing. Next were my pants, followed by my underwear. Unlike last time, I folded them neatly and placed them next to my shoes. I also didn't plan on drowning.

The water was bone chilling, but I quickly grew accustomed to it. My movements disturbed the once placid surface, and after I had waded my body a ways away from the dock, took in a gulp of air and dunked my head under. Glistening sunlight filtered in through the surface, illuminating the space around me. I savored the feeling of weightlessness as my body twisted and pushed through the gentle, if not nonexistent currents. I stayed down until my lungs screamed for another breath, but was back under as soon as they were filled with another batch of air.

It was almost like a second baptism, except this one was done willingly and not just a ploy to get my parents to allow me to attend public school. The longer I stayed under and let my body be blanketed by the cooling sensation, the more the mental dirt and grime seemed to seep through my pores and into the nothingness I was submerged in. As long as this scar stained my skin with its ugly pink color, Orochimaru would always be with me- and so would the memories of his assault. No, I was not somehow magically wiped clean of the repugnant feeling he had instilled in my gut. But for the moment, I felt at peace; and also, like a part of me had partially been resolved.

I did not want to die. I had thought at first that just staying away from anything having to do with the word "ninja" would keep me from danger- and I was horribly mistaken. I could've very easily died again last night. It nearly knocked the newfound air from my lungs when it finally hit me; I _valued_ this life; I _liked_ being Hanami Nohara. I liked waking up in my sister's arms every morning, I liked playing hanafuda with Itachi and I liked sharing endless laughs with Shiusi. I liked going back and forth with Kakashi, I liked sneaking off to the ramen stand with Obito even though my sister specifically didn't want me eating there more than once a month. I liked getting mistaken for Kushina and Minato's offspring by strangers. I liked being me. But being 'me', or moreover, being Hanami Nohara, came with several downsides.

I lived in a world where danger, in every literal sense, was lurking around the corner, anticipating the right moment to strike. I had assumed, because I'm a fucking tool, that just ignoring that bit of info beyond the simple task of bonding a leaf to my hand with chakra meant it wouldn't have that much of a role in my life. I had said to myself that if I just got over the bumps in the road that was everyone I loved dying, that things would be peachy. But I knew now, as irksome as it was, that that wasn't the case. Completely off the grid happenstances could occur much like the one last night, regardless if I was a ninja or not. Staying blissfully out of touch with reality and tinkering with a sewing machine wasn't going to keep me and my loved ones from becoming covered by six feet of dirt. As I drifted over the exterior of the lake, a few things achieved a startling sense of clarity.

Like previously mentioned, I wanted to live, very much so. Secondly, I was now aware of the fact that the chance of that happening was slim if I remained completely and pitifully powerless. Thirdly, I still wasn't sure if I wanted to become a ninja; for reasons, return to Revelation One. And finally, I wanted to able to protect myself and my loved ones from danger, even if that included people like Orochimaru, as ambitious as that was. But realistically, what was there that I could do to reach that goal? The leaf exercise is monumentally different from completing an actual jutsu. Molding, compressing, completely reconstructing chakra may always be out of my realm of possibilities. Kenjutsu was on the list, maybe going into seals if I were ever to feel like pulling an Uzumaki. But for some reason, something else entirely stuck out like it was ablaze in neon light and flashing colors; taijutsu. It was one of the first endeavors I had ever truly given up all hope on, and that bothered me. Why, because I was scared? What was worse, a black eye, some missing teeth and getting my nails dirty, or being fucking dead, _again_? I may not know your answer, but if it isn't A, sorry, dude. You failed the quiz. My eyes shut, a small grin playing on my lips.

I _refused_ to die, at least not soon. And I wasn't going to let this unfortunate encounter with He Who Must Not be Named dictate my entire life. Would I have nightmares about it? _Abso-fucking-lutely_. But I could roll with punches pretty well, I'd say. I was shaken from my thoughts at the sound of someone's heavy feet slamming against the dock. I looked up to find Shisui, who was in the process of frantically ripping his shoes off and muttering curses under his breath. I tried not to grin as I swam towards him, right as his school bag clattered against the ground.

"What the heck are you doing?" He had been so busy in trying to pry his shoe away from his foot that he hadn't even noticed I was now only a few inches away from him. He sprang back, his chest heaving up and down like he had just experienced a jump scare for the very first time. I crossed my arms over the worn down wood and placed my head on top of them.

"I could ask you the same thing, you know!" His breathing was slowly returning to normal, but his body was still shaking as he ran his hands over his face and through his hair. I peered at him through my lashes. Huh. I had never seen him in this much of a panic before.

"How about you start." In between being frazzled and angry, a blush creeped its way over his cheeks. His eyes drifted over to my discarded clothing, then back to my cheeky grin.

"Are…are you completely naked?" He said it so innocently, that a giggle couldn't be stopped as it erupted from my throat. He blushed furiously, and I knew that if he hadn't come to the realization that I was entirely nude, he would've tackled me. "Stop laughing, Hanami! It's not funny!"

"It kind of is."… well, it was until he looked about ready to cry. My laughter abruptly died as he wiped the back of his hand over his right eye, the other held in a tight fist on his knee. "Ok, _ok_ , it's not. Why were you in such a panic, Shisui?" I had the urge to hug him, but didn't for obvious reasons. He pulled his knees to his chest, placed his crossed arms over them and hid his face, only looking at me again after the tremors had stopped and his breathing was normal a few moments later. Sometimes, I really was bad at this whole friendship gig. Maybe I could enlist Itachi as a tutor.

"I-I heard some kids talking about what happened at the hospital today in class, and one of them said 'some Nohara girl got her throat slit.' I went to your house, and both you and Rin weren't home, a-and…" Through the tears that were begging to fall, he finally noticed the newly placed scar that spanned from the base of my neck all the way to center of my clavicle. A shaky hand reached for it, and although it stung, I allowed him to touch it. "I didn't t-think it was true…"

"I'm alright, Shisui. Please don't cry." I placed my hand over the one he still had cupped around my neck. It hit me then that it was only about eleven o'clock, nearly four hours before school was over. The little fart skipped class just to come and check on my wellbeing. "If you cover your eyes for a moment, I'll get out of the water and get dressed, ok?" He nodded once, and wordlessly moved off to the side and shielded his vision with his hands. It was fairly impossible to get completely toweled off or get the water entirely out of my obnoxiously thick hair, but I guess that's the intended use for the term 'air dry'. I called him over once I was done, and was now in the process letting a child cling to me like a life line while I hugged him back just as fiercely. I hadn't expected to ever need to comfort either Uchiha boys, and having to for the both of them came completely out of left field. I didn't mind, because I'm not that bad of a friend.

We embraced for another handful of minutes until he was pacified, and afterward sat next to each other on the edge of the dock. He hadn't spoken up yet, so neither had I.

"… I found Rin at Minato and Kushina's house and asked where you were, and after they said you had gone for a walk, I followed your chakra here. When I saw you just floating there like that …" Ironically enough, he thought I had drowned. Of course, he just wouldn't know why that made me almost want to chuckle. Why my death was the most hilarious thing to me nowadays was a mystery. Unlike that day after Rin left for the fateful Kannabi Bridge fiasco, I wasn't going to keep anything from him. Probably classified information be damned.

"I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I'm gonna, anyway. Orochimaru attacked the hospital last night- or, it was actually just a clone so the real one could deflect from the village without Jiraiya getting in the way. He took me hostage, did… y'know, _this_ , then I guess after the real one got far enough away, disappeared. I'm not really sure. I blacked out after he cut me." When Shisui was angry, he had the habit of shaking and punching the nearest wall; currently, he was in the first stage of that. I looped my arm around his and leaned my head onto his shoulder. The shaking didn't stop, or even lessen in intensity. "Shisui, I'm fine-"

"Hanami, stop saying that! You could've died!" As if I wasn't well aware of that. I let go of him, his hands going to his hair as seemed the usual for any emotional reaction of any particularly black sheep Uchiha. Truthfully, I wasn't fine. This would cling long after I fell asleep tonight, and would exceed even longer after that. Picturing his face caused shivers to vibrate throughout my body and stomach acid to rise to the back of my throat. But I had a way about me that given the perfect distraction, such as learning how to kick ass, I could momentarily separate myself from any nightmare fuel, and allow a somewhat false sense of normalcy to deter my thoughts away from what may've currently been disturbing them. Shisui, however, couldn't be more different. "I'll… _I'll kill him_. I'm going to find him, and _kill_ him."

"Shisui, _no_ , you won't. He's a sannin. He wouldn't even need to lift a pinky, and you'd be dead. He could've done a lot worse to me. I'm going to be alright." I knew he wanted to yell at me some more, but held back. I sank my teeth into my lip and squeezed his hand. "I can take care of myself, Shisui." It was funny how much of a lie that currently was. But what wasn't funny, was how absolutely _livid_ he was with me now. Angry Uchihas were the worst Uchihas.

"No, you _can't_!" He took me by my shoulders and shook my much smaller body, a new bout of tears welling in his dark eyes. "Hanami, you can't even perform the leaf exercise! How can you even say that?" Not in good conscience, that much was for sure. His fingers fidgeted, but stayed fixed around my frail arms. "…You're just so little, you know? I don't have to worry about Itachi like I do about you." After I had taken the mandatory deep breath, I placed my hands on the side of his cheeks. They were red, puffy and tear stained, making him look very much like an angry tomato.

"That wasn't the right thing to say, but you have to listen to me, ok? I'm going to get strong, so you won't have to worry about me nearly as much. And don't you _dare_ vow to get revenge on Orochimaru, Shisui. It isn't worth it." He sniffled, and after another moment of teary eye contact, leant forward and rested his head against my chest. Shisui, since the dawn of our friendship, had always been abnormally watchful of my safety. I knew he wasn't the exact same with Itachi because he could actually, and very easily, fend for himself. And like he had said, I was tiny and incapable of performing the simplest chakra exercise known to mankind. I had a very long, and very bumpy road ahead of me.

"…do you know a place that cuts hair for cheap, Shisui?" He eyed me curiously, but nodded. "Could you take me there?"

"Why do you want to cut your hair? It's pretty." A sweet sentiment, but not one that could change my mind. I untangled myself from him and outstretched my hand, his larger one completely engulfing mine as I pulled him into a standing position.

"I've never cared much for having long hair." What was also great about Shisui, was that he never really required an extended explanation for things. Normally. Maybe when they had to do with life and death.

We ended up in the shopping district of the village, but not out in plain sight. I probably slowed him down and decreased the levels of stealth by about a hundred, but no one seemed to notice us as we darted around produce stands and tall buildings. I didn't know why ninja mode was necessary at first, but then I recalled the fact that it was only noon and he should technically still be in school. We were a block down from the barber shop when we heard a low whistle behind us, a tune I had long since grown to associate with one and one person only.

"Well, well, well. What is my darling boy doing out of class at such an early hour of the morning?" Kyo leaned carelessly against the side of the women's clothing shop, a dango stick dangling loosely from his lips. We attempted to bolt, but Kyo caught the back of both of our shirts with zero effort. " _And_ trying to run away from facing his responsibilities? Tsk. What kind of man have I raised?"

"Well, what kind did grandpa raise? You're loitering outside of a lady's lingerie store!" I masked my giggle with the back of my hand, my other one covering the now exposed gash on my neck. The bandage had probably washed off somewhere in the lake, I realized.

"I'm not 'loitering', Shisui. Besides, I just so happened upon this building in particular. I'm not _that_ lewd." From how many times I had seen him stare down Kushina's tits, I would have to proclaim otherwise. He ruffled his son's hair and attempted to do the same to mine, and raised a brow at the dampness of the tresses. "Did you go swimming or something, Hanami-chan?"

" _Daaaaaaad_ , none of that's important right now. I gotta go take Hanami to get her hair cut!" He turned his eyes away from his son as they zeroed in on the hand I had covering my neck. I swallowed hard. Gently, he pulled my fingers away to reveal the inflamed line of skin. His eyes widened, and without looking away, flicked his son on the nose when he tried to lunge in front of me. He traced his fingers along the length of it, but stopped as soon as I winced.

"So, the rumors were true…" Although he hadn't needed a response, I shrugged and nodded my head. After sighing, he reached into one of his flak jacket pockets and retrieved a standard med pack, and made quick work of covering the newly formed scar.

"Do you just carry bandages around everywhere you go, dad?" Shisui inquired curiously, as Kyo ripped the last strip of medical tape off with his teeth before pressing it against my skin. He smirked, as was the Uchiha way.

"Well, between being a ninja and your dad, you never know when you're going to need to doctor up a wound. Although, I do _not_ recommend trying to fix a blown off limb with a polka dot bandage." I giggled, and his smirk grew into a broad grin. "Now, what was that about getting your hair cut, Hanami-chan?"

"I've always wanted short hair, and I think now's a good time that I ought to get it." Originally, the short hair trend had begun after a fatal accident in which a wad of chewing gum had been the assailant, and my then back length hair the victim. Mom cried the whole time and I did, too, but afterwards, I couldn't help but think I had been meant to look that way my entire life. Now, having long hair that felt like an anchor trailing behind me after the ten years I had spent before doing my damnedest to keep it at an jaw length was not something I welcomed with open arms. And right about now, it just felt like it was time.

"That's great and all, but how will Kushina react when she sees you've chopped all your hair off? And your sister?" Considering the former was the exact reason why my hair was still so long, I knew it probably wouldn't go over kindly. Rin, however, would be fine with it, I was positive. She just gets me like that.

"I'll take full blame, Kyo-san."

"Yeah, but I'll be an accessory to hair murder." And yes, it truly was that dramatic. Fortunately, puppy eyes were one of Kyo Uchiha's few weaknesses. I nudged Shisui in his side, and he promptly puckered out his bottom lip. He crumbled like snow caps during an avalanche, and sighed loud and exasperatedly. If you didn't know he was thirty-eight, your guess would probably be closer to twenty just by personality alone.

"Fine, _fine_. How are you wanting it cut, anyway?" My old hairstyle wasn't one that I could describe, nor was it something I thought would suit me now. Looking Kyo over, I took in the heavy side part and spiked out ends, and an idea glowed to life.

"Like yours."

"Like mine, you say? Alright, come on, before I change my mind." Like his son, he was just as complacent. After flirting with the hairdresser once we arrived at the barber shop, I was sat in a chair with books stacked on top as the woman got down to business. I watched the golden brown locks cascade and fall to the ground around me; it felt like being liberated from bondage, having been tied down and constricted by something for over five years of this new life. I felt clean. A bit broken, but clean and new. Like all those years ago, I couldn't help but feel like this is what I had been meant to look like. I sighed and ran my hands through the now shortened locks, the anchor I had felt before now cut away so I could set sail.

"You know, I didn't think I'd like it, but it suits you, Hanami-chan." I grinned at Shisui as he threw his arm around my shoulder, his other hand being held by his perverted, but lovable father. "Next stop is Itachi's." His name caused a lump to rise in my throat. I wasn't sure if he knew, or how he would react to seeing me if he did.

"…Do we _have_ to?" It was selfish and a tad cruel, but I was finding myself to be a bit cowardly at the moment.

"Well, since everyone thinks you and Rin are dead, it would be a good idea to show them that you aren't." And BOOM, I feel like garbage. Each step to the Uchiha compound was heavy and dreadful. Mine and Itachi's bond was hard to describe. I loved him the same amount that I did Shisui, but in a different capacity. Shisui was more like an older brother, but Itachi… I couldn't quite say. Him being upset with me made my knees buckle and my heart crack into a million different pieces, but when Shisui was hurt, I felt like I needed to be the glue that put him back together. I wasn't sure I was ready for the emotional disruption that seeing Itachi would assuredly cause.

We approach the front door, Kyo taking the lead and placing a series of light knocks to the surface of the wood. My palms began to perspire, even more so when a tired eyed Fugaku answered the door. He took one look at me, raised his brows and looked back over to his best friend.

"Kyo, have a word with me in the den. Hanami, Shisui; Itachi is in the backyard training." Not wanting to stay put or venture into the backyard on my own will, I let Shisui drag my body along with him. From beyond the door, I heard the loud clank of kunai as they hit the tree designated for target practice, and the unmistakable heavy breathing that came from physical exertion. Except, he sounded angry. Itachi was _never_ angry; only cool, calm and collected. This was not a good sign.

"…Hey, Itachi." The kunai he was in the midst of tossing went off course and imbedded into the side of the tree next to the one it was intended to hit. Shisui's eyes shifted between Itachi and me warily. I took in a large gulp of air, marched over to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. His muscles were quivering under my touch, so I held onto him tighter.

"…I thought you _died_ , and all you can say is 'hey, Itachi'?" he ripped himself away from my embrace and spun around. I had known Itachi for three years, and only once had I ever seen him cry. His eyes glistened with tears that he tried to blink away, but only resulted in one traveling down his cheek. I took another step towards him, and then another, and one more until he was in arms reach again. He flung his arms around me tightly and buried his head into the crook of my neck. Shisui joined the hug fest a second later, crushing my body in between them, but I didn't complain once.

I ended up spilling the beans to Itachi, because it didn't feel right telling Shisui something and not confiding in him, too. We remained glued to each other until my sister and not-parents practically broke the door down, two out of the three expressing various volumes of rage and confusion over my now spiky, ear length hair. Oh, and Kyo _was_ nearly strangled by Kushina, but I'm sure you could've guessed that without even me having to allude to it.

What a stressful day.

•

 **And hello again. I wasn't sure in what direction I wanted to take this chapter, but I'm happy with the end result. Finally, we get to the ceremonious hair chopping. It's kind of monumental for Hanami feeling more whole in her current body, which will be covered more as the chapters go on. ALLLSOO, I updated the cover photo with a portrait I drew of her current appearance, sans scar, and I'm pretty darn proud of it. Check it out (if you want, of course.)**

 **Oh, and another thing- a few people commented saying that the original draft didn't sound half bad, so I thought I'd go into why it wasn't posted and this version was; she was just** _ **waaaaaaay**_ **too similar to other OC inserts that I had been reading upon the time of her conception, and not only that, her personality just sorta blew chunks. Like I had mentioned in the last author's note, Rin and Obito both ended up dying in the original draft. With the way I wrote her character, their deaths only had a temporary impact on her emotionally before she moved on. She was beyond inconsiderate, alarmingly Sue-ish, and just generally a bad character. And, there really wasn't a plot, at all. I had gotten to chapter sixty before I realized it just wasn't good enough, and that's why it was scrapped. I will say that I'm a hundred times more content with this version than the last. But, there are some things that remained mostly the same; chapter 1-5 are nearly identical, but the rest goes off course from thereon. Also concerning her being shipped with Kakashi; it may or may not happen, I don't know at this point in time. If I do decide to** **end this fic with her in a relationship, it could be him, an Uchiha and someone else we haven't met yet. It just all depends on where this goes.**

 **Fun Fact: Originally, I drew her hair long and tied into a bun. However, her late teen/early twenties design looked too much like a young Koharu Utatane, and her younger self looked startlingly similar to TenTen, so that's why it was thrown out. Also, I used to draw her with the purple face thingy-ma-bobs. They really don't suit her.**


	20. Chapter Eighteen:

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 **Chapter Eighteen: Wherein Sakura receives two older sisters, Hanami asks for a favor, and Kakashi is… well, as Kakashi as always.**

•

 **"…Firstly, I wanted to live, very much so. Secondly, I was now aware of the fact that the chances of that happening were slim if I remained completely and pitifully powerless. Thirdly, I still wasn't sure if I wanted to become a ninja; for reasons, return to Revelation One."**

 **Hanami**

Time went on, as was expected. And also to be expected, every night I spent asleep was nightmare ridden and lacked any real sense of rest. Like I had mentioned before, busying myself was the best way to make sure my mind stays as far away from _You Know Who_ as was humanly achievable, so that's what I did. Mainly training on my own, which was proving not to be as fruitful as I had hoped. I had broken down and asked Itachi and Shisui for help, but the both of them possessed a newfound fear of me being anywhere near a kunai, so they were quickly out of the question. Being coddled was the last thing I needed, ever, but especially at the moment. Ah well. I guess I can't blame them, or anyone, for it. Especially not my sister, who between picking up the slack left from the absence of the hospital bound medic-nins, spent her time making sure I hadn't disappeared into thin air. If even possible, those overly protective habits I refer to so often had probably quadrupled in size.

We, as in myself plus my sister, manned opposite ends of Mebuki Haruno's bed, the newly mother seated in the middle while she refreshed Sakura's diaper. I was keeping the infant busy, as she had proven herself to be the most uncooperative fucking child in the history of ever. Kizashi was currently at the market purchasing another round of diapers, because this baby somehow managed to produce more feces in a day than any normal adult did in three. Probably an exaggeration, but I digress.

"So, how has your training been going, Hanami-chan?" Mebuki inquired, in between fastening the last flap of the diaper close and trying not to get kicked in the face. All things considering, Sakura was a good baby. Even if she stuck my fingers in her mouth _way_ more often than what I deemed necessary. Also, I, along with Rin, were now her pseudo big sisters, as enforced by both of her parents. Apparently, group near death experiences were the source of faux family bonds. It was becoming more difficult each day for Kushina to hide her growing baby induced bump, so it wouldn't be long that referring to it as anything other than a pregnancy would be impossible. Ergo; Naruto Uzumaki was fast-approaching. This is _not_ a drill. Nightmares aside, life was good. My physical progress could definitely use some work, however.

"It's not, unfortunately." Sakura giggled exceptionally loud as I twisted my face into the ugliest one I could manage. She was growing on me, like a fungus. Now, if only I could ensure that she won't end up a do-nothing fangirl with an unquenchable thirst for an over rated emo's baby dick at some point in the near future. Fingers are fucking crossed. My sister shot me a knowing look as she folded another shirt and placed it into the clothes basket. Being young, first time parents was proving to be more difficult than they had thought, and funnily enough, my sister was a wealth of knowledge when it came to caring for a baby. In a weird way, she had been a mom since she was nine…Ok, _ew_ , that sounded a _lot_ less gross in my head. Anyway, she had taken on the role of 'Baby Proofer and Occasionally Laundry Do-er' to help them ease into the new swing of things when she wasn't confined to medic-nin responsibilities. She was a gift to this unworthy world. If you couldn't already tell, Rin Nohara was basically my favorite person.

"Well, are you looking to specialize in something? Kenjutsu, medical ninjutsu, seals…" Her sentence trailed off as Sakura's pudgy foot rammed into the front of her teeth. She grabbed it and did that weird fake biting thing, which only increased her daughter's already never ending giggles.

"I've been thinking about taijutsu, actually." Inflicting damage onto things had been a stress reliever of sorts once upon a life time ago, and the thought of taking that destructive habit and turning it into something that'll actually benefit me made me almost giddy. Actually punching a human being instead of a wall would probably be a world of difference, however.

"Ah, that's right. You have problems molding chakra, don't you?" The word 'problem' truly didn't cover it in the depth required. Three years now I had spent an hour, two if I had the time, every morning, afternoon and evening meditating with little result. It was the most guaranteed way to develop your chakra system, and yet, somehow it just wasn't cutting it for me. I was starting to think it was hopeless. I didn't intend on throwing in the towel, because being a quitter _so_ wasn't my aesthetic. My patience was just wearing thin, and fast.

"Yep. Besides, punching people in the face seems like a lot of fun." She snorted, and Rin just rolled her eyes.

"Well, how about you get a tutor? If it's not coming along like you want it to, it wouldn't hurt to get some extra help. I'd volunteer if I hadn't of just popped out a kid." It was apparently Rin's turn to snort, as she finished off the laundry and turned to face us.

"Hanami has a hard time accepting help from anyone, Mebuki-san." It was entirely true, so I didn't supply a riposte. Kizashi entered the home then, wasting no time in venturing to his bedroom and handing his wife a new package of diapers, and setting the other five down against the wall.

"Hey, ladies. Whatcha talking about?" He chirped, as he bent over to place a kiss to his daughter's pudgy belly, and of course, her laughter filled the room once again. As long as she was just an innocent, poopy baby, I _guess_ I liked her.

"Just Hanami's taijutsu, is all. Say, do you know of anyone that could help her? She's having a difficult time with it." The older man scratched thoughtfully at his stubble ridden chin.

"Well, there's only one person in the village that specializes in taijutsu that I know of… Maito Gai, I think it is." My sister practically choked on air. She would socialize with Gai, but only if I was kept a safe distance away. Over protectiveness and all that.

" _Nope_. Not happening." Said sister interjected, her arms crossed over her chest in a finalizing manner. They gave her quizzical looks, but she didn't supply them any answers.

"He almost murdered me one time." Really, 'murder' was a stretch of what had actually occurred, but it added to the theatrical effect. The conversation was shifted into the direction of baby feet and the fiscal cost of a years' worth of diapers when Sakura, yet again, decided to fill her diaper up with that afternoon's lunch. We stayed for dinner, even though my appetite was suddenly nowhere to be found, and the next day was spent going out and collecting cardboard boxes for our impending move. It was a wonder that Rin wasn't currently being worked to the bone, since the three weeks that followed after the attack had mainly involved her hardly leaving the hospital.

If his plan had been to brutally fuck anyone and everything involved, he surely succeeded. In the wake of the massacre, the loved ones of the medic and patients that had fallen were in an absolute uproar over how an incident such as this had even occurred, and moreover, how the Hokage was going to mediate this disaster. Thankfully, he hadn't managed to pick off every last medic nin in the village, so anyone that was currently off duty or still in training were called into action. Rin had mainly been helping the younger, more inexperienced medics learn the ropes beyond what was taught in the academy while the older ones were taking to the shinobi that were being transported in from the front lines that the field medics couldn't treat. In more reassuring news, we still had this war by its horns. Minato had mentioned that it probably wouldn't be long now that the conflict would finally come to stop. I was anticipating the day with bated breath.

"Rin! Rin!" Kurenai came to a screeching halt in front of us, with her torso bent forward and her hands on her knees as she tried to regain her breath. We had been in the middle of scavenging boxes from dumpsters in a not so subtle manner when she found us.

"Kurenai, what's wrong?" Rin dropped the boxes to the side and tended to the frenzied girl, her medic mode still in over drive. She waved her off and stood upright, an ebullient smile taking over her flustered cheeks.

"No, nothing's wrong! They're back!" 'They' could only allude to two people; and I think you know them quite well by now.

Kakashi and Obito had been gone for exactly twenty-two days- and yes, I had been keeping them marked on a calendar. They were the only two in my sister's cluster of friends that had been deployed, and for some reason that would probably always fly completely over my head, Rin's male friends were fairly salty about it. Some ninja junk about displaying the Will of Fire for all of the other lowly shinobi to bear witness. Males were a hard species to understand. Without a moment of hesitation, we left the moving boxes behind and raced with Kurenai towards the village gates. It would be a lengthy process, having everyone's documents verified and signed back into the village. But we, along with a mass of others, were willing to wait.

The line, or I should probably say crowd, was already massive in size by the time we got there. I thought back to the time after the first battle of the war, when the entire village had gathered around the Hokage as he declared our losses thus far. A shiver ran down my spine. _They'd be fine, they'd be fine, they'd be fine_ … the more I said it, the more conflicted I felt on whether or not I believed it.

With much appreciation, there wasn't any more room for angst. They both came marching through the gates, limbs, phalanges and all wonderfully intact. Or, _my_ woes were put to rest, while several others were not. Around us, families and friends of those that hadn't had the luck of making it back home had collapsed into tears, the stronger willed ones leading their sob stricken family members away from the village gates. A hard lump congealed in my throat, but I swallowed it along with any misplaced guilt I was feeling down and out of sight. Obito pushed through the crowd, Kakashi trailing along behind him. Rin rushed forward and gathered them both into a tight embrace, and afterwards, wrapped her arms around Obito's neck and placed a long, firm kiss to his lips that nearly knocked him back. _Oooh_ , get it, girl.

"God, it's so good to see you guys!" Obito nearly produced a tear before he caught himself, as the rest of his friends formed a circle around him and Kakashi. He had his arm wrapped snugly around Rin with a blush in place, as per usual. Asuma huffed, and planted his arms over his puffed out chest.

"Yeah, it's good to see you, too. I just don't understand why _we_ couldn't get in on the action." Pfft. Like _fuck_ the Hokage would send his son out smack dab in the middle of political conflict. Kurenai slapped his arm, causing any invidious tension to be washed away from his expression. "So, how was it? Pick off any Iwa or Kusa bastards?" And of course, haste was made in getting to the gory, juicy details. God. Freaking ninja, man.

"Well, _duh_! You shoulda seen Kakashi- he whipped out his Chidori on this whole platoon of Kiri guys- it was _awesome_! I copied so many badass new jutsu while I was out, too, and… _What happened to your hair?!_ " I had been completely left out of the equation until I was finally noticed by the buoyant Uchiha, who dropped to his knees in front of me as his hands went to what remained of the long hair he had last seen me with it. Cue the shonen waterworks- well, if this still were an anime and not my unfortunate reality.

"Got some gum in it, so we had to hack it all off. I know, I know, the gum corporations should pay for this travesty, I know." Thankfully, it was a scarf kinda day, so he didn't get a peek at my permanent, physical representation of mental baggage. I didn't really have a witty explanation for that one.

"B-but… it was so pretty!" If you think he's being dramatic, just remember that Kushina nearly committed homicide.

"Well, am I not pretty anymore? _Gosh_ , Obito. You're really hurting my feelings." Not so surprisingly, because he's also a gift to this unworthy chunk of rock, Itachi had taken to my new haircut the most. I just wished that layer of acceptance could've translated to however distant of a relative Obito's neck of the woods fell into.

"No, no, that's not it at all! It's just-"

"I'd be more concerned by the bandage she's covering with that scarf." I hate you sometimes, Kakashi. I really, really do. Newfound concern flashed in his eyes as his hand reached for the yellow scarf that Kushina had knitted me, and I flinched away from his touch. The massacre was kind of being treated similarly to the Kyuubi attack; everyone knew that it had happened, but you weren't allowed to talk about- and also, if you weren't around or old enough to be a bystander, tough shit. Call it a hunch, or just knowing him on a deeply intimate level, but I knew that any excuse that we gave Obito wouldn't fly over very well.

"Hanami, what happened?" I tried to construct a quick cover up, but drew at a mouth-hanging-open kind of blank. Praise the celestial forces for Rin, because she interjected with a hand on his shoulder and a halfhearted smile.

"It was a training accident. She hasn't really wanted to talk about it." Her believability was majorly discredited by the fact that Obito, much like Itachi and Shisui on my behalf, could distinguish a lie from a truth within seconds of the fabrication being spoken. His eyes shifted from my sister's slowly faltering smile back to my unconvincing grin. Oh, fuck me.

"Since when does she train?" Since nearly dying. But, that tid bit of fairly important information went unsaid, as Kushina decided to make an entrance. Unlike so many times before, her hugs didn't include them being tackled and squeezed to death. Death grips really aren't good for growing fetuses.

"I'm so happy you guys are back! We've missed you so much!" She did, in fact, nearly smother them with her affections, however. Once she was done embarrassing them in front of their friends and fellow soldiers, Minato pressed his fist against both of theirs with his usual, almost blinding grin.

"Me and Kushina have something we want to share with you all over dinner, so go get cleaned up." A massive, profusely shit-eating grin nearly cracked my face into twos. But I wasn't one for spoilers, so I kept my absolute guesses and cheeky comments on the success of Minato's sperm to myself. Seeing a perfect opportunity to bolt from anymore awkward conversation, I grabbed my sister's hand and started pulling her in the direction that we came from.

Rin called over her shoulder, "We'll be there, Minato-sensei. We've got to go finish up getting boxes for our move, so we'll see you at dinner!" I looked over my shoulder a final time, only to see Obito pouting at our retreating forms.

"Do you think we should tell him?" I asked Rin, after we had retrieved our discarded boxes, returned home and began packing them full with our belongings. Another thing about Obito was that regardless if we kept something from him or we didn't, he'd find out eventually, and be angry we weren't the ones to tell him in the first place. If I could avoid a pouting Uchiha, I would. And also, I didn't see the point in keeping things from him, in the same way I didn't find it necessary to keep things from my sister.

"It's classified, Hanami. We can't." Ah, of course. Rin was, and I say this with nothing but love in my heart, a rule abiding, authoritative dick riding kunoichi, regardless if she was off duty or not. I sighed- long, drawn out, and clearly conveying a point that caused my sister to activate her Mommy Glare. And here, children, is one of the rare times you will see me plan to go behind my sister's back and do something I've been advised not to. But, there's a distinctive look in her eye that tells me that this isn't the end of this particular discussion, and that she has something up her sleeve. You might think I'm reading too much into things, but when it comes to Rin Nohara, I'm probably not.

•

 **Rin**

Classified information meant exactly that- classified, as in, do not discuss its circumstances in any situation, ever. Classified, as in you can and probably will be punished by the Hokage if word gets out you spilled the beans. And lastly, classified, so no, don't tell Obito Uchiha. But that probably wouldn't go over well, so I had to think of a way around the situation. I was good at stuff like that.

We got dressed for dinner, and afterwards, headed to the place Kushina had told us to meet them at- it was the restaurant that had turned Obito and I away from entering after being only five minutes late. There was something satisfying about the thought of strutting in there with Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, two people that practically everyone in the village adored, and sitting down for a nice meal all the while giving the snooty hostess the stank eye. I feel like Hanami was influencing me, but that was alright. She brings out my spunkier side.

"Will I still be able to wear the scarf inside?" Good question, one I hadn't even thought of myself. And the answer, unfortunately, was-

"No." Another one of her infamous groans, followed by her kicking up a frustrated cloud of dirt with her sandal clad foot. I didn't want to hide anything from Obito, or Kakashi. Konoha citizens, specifically the older, gossip absorbed ladies, always had the habit of talking about things they know that they shouldn't. So basically, the truth would land in their laps eventually. And as their former teammate, they would be very, _very_ angry I hadn't been the one to tell them outright. It was a catch twenty-two, I think is what you'd call it. We got to the restaurant on time and before Obito, and as expected, Hanami's scarf was confiscated and was accompanied by her muttering words that I didn't know, but had a hunch were curses under her breath.

"We're glad you all made it here on time." Kushina said, after Obito had joined us. By the gleam in Hanami's eye, I had a feeling the news they had to share with us was going to be big- and also, that I kind of had already had a guess of what it would be, and have for a while.

"Well, of course! So, what's the big news?" I asked, almost on the edge of my seat. Over the last few months, Kushina had been eating weirder and weirder food combinations, her hormones had been more spontaneous and a bit more frightening than usual, and most obviously, her stomach had begun to swell in the smallest way. I loved babies, and the thought of them producing one made a bubbling, giddy happiness rise in my chest.

"Well, for starters…" Kushina trailed off as her hand fell to her stomach, and I covered my mouth with both of my hands to mask the squeal of excitement. "I found out a few months ago, but it wasn't really the right time."

"Ohmygosh! You're gonna have a baby!" My outburst caused several of the other patrons look over at our table, so I settled back down after a quick and muttered apology. Sensei was blushing, but I wasn't sure if it was from the fact I had attracted the attention of the entire restaurant or from the look Obito was giving him. Probably both.

"Good job, Minato-sensei!" Kakashi kicked him from under the table, but his cheeky grin only seemed to grow. Thankfully, the topic of Hanami-chan's apparent "training accident" seemed to slip away from his mind, for now. After the congratulations had been dished out and after we had been served our food, Hanami turned her attention to Kakashi, who had somehow managed to eat three servings of yakitori without anyone noticing.

"Uh, Kakashi?" his good eye fell into her direction, a tinge of red now spreading over her cheeks. "I know you just got back and all, but I have a _really_ big favor to ask of you." Even though she had her hands under the table, I knew she was digging her nails into her palms.

"…what it is?" He looked partially interested while still being unenthused. It was a talent of his.

"If you have the time, could you help me with taijutsu? If you don't feel up to it, I understand." Obito had been in the middle of stuffing his mouth with another skewer of beef when he nearly choked on it. I patted him on the back to try and ease him out of hacking up his dinner, only partially successful.

"Why _Kakashi_? I can help you, y'know!" The inferiority complex would probably fade away once he was completely done with puberty. At least, I was hoping so. A mischievous light flickered in her eyes as she slowly lifted another bite of meat to her lips.

Nonchalantly, like she was discussing the weather, responded with, "Well, I guess I just assumed you'd want to spend your time making out with my sister when you got home. My bad." Kushina slammed the palms of her hands down onto the table top as she flung herself into a standing position. Once again, all eyes were now pointed to our huddle in the corner of the restaurant. We were probably better than a five o'clock showing.

"I _knew_ it! So you _are_ dating! Why didn't you tell me sooner, you brats?" For this reason, exactly. I covered my blush with both of my hands, while Obito slowly sank further and further into his seat. Hanami sniggered behind her mouthful of food, and Minato casually reached behind Kushina and swatted her lightly on the back of the head. If anything, it made her laugh harder.

"…I'll help you, Hanami. Be at training ground nine tomorrow morning, seven o'clock." I was thankful for the shift in conversation, but even more flustered to notice the mirth in his remaining eye. He was enjoying our pain; it figured, to be honest. Minato-sensei cleared his throat, and moved the discussion towards what it had been like out in battle and how they had faired. Across from me, Hanami's smirk only grew at the pout I was now sporting.

I love you, but sometimes, you're the biggest butthole in the entire Universe.

•

 **Hanami**

Tomorrow morning, seven o'clock. A lot easier said than it was done, I must say.

After five years of waking no earlier than ten on the most productive of days, it was hard turning myself back on again after such heavy of a sleep this early. But, I wasn't going to be late. I think we all know how well Kakashi Hatake and tardiness jive, at least at the moment. Rin was already hospital bound, so I had been taken to my not-parent's house to sleep off the remainder of the time before my first official training sesh with Kakashi Motha Fuckin' Hatake. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? I was given a sack lunch and a kiss on the cheek from the mother-to-be, who arguably had already been a mother for the past four years of her life. Almost as unrelenting as my own mother previously, except Kushina wasn't going to confine me to home school from years pre-k through five, or monitor my every move past the age of sixteen due to one minor fuck up. A tip of advice; if you're going to have a threesome, make absolutely sure your parents and younger siblings aren't going to be home for the rest of the day.

I whistled a tune that had once been the melody of a favorite song, its beat reminding me of my seventh grade emo phase, but with a fondness instead of a grimace. I allowed my mind to wander to my impromptu tutor, a thoughtful frown tugging my lips into a tight line. Kakashi was a hard book to read. When Kushina and Minato had first asked him if he could train me when they couldn't, taijutsu was one of the first things on his agenda that I had shot down. He was also the first person I had explained the only thing I sought to reap from this whole "turn Hanami into a ninja" experiment; I just wanted to control my chakra. Nothing more, nothing less. It irked him to no end, but Minato had requested that he stick things out, so he did. While my sorta-parents taught me about seals and ninjutsu, he meditated with me. If I were being wishful, I'd say that we bonded quite a lot. If I leaned toward the more realistic side of things, I'd say begrudgingly that he was only doing what was asked of him. For some reason, I constantly found myself seeking his approval. Just don't tell him that.

" _Hm_. You're on time." I found him leaning lazily against a wooden post, very much like the one Naruto had been strapped to another timeline ago. He shut his book with a snap, and slid it into his pants pocket. Before it was out of sight, I noticed the cover; _Girl x Girl Euphoria_. And so it begins.

"Well, of course. We all know how much you just _love_ punctuality." I peeled my backpack away from my shoulders and threw it to the side. I had to borrow some of Itachi's workout clothing as I had none of my own, and even though they were hand-me-downs from nearly two years ago, I was still practically swimming in an endless sea of blues, grays and blacks. Improper fit aside, the color scheme was _so_ incredibly dismal- but I had told myself that today was the day I turned over a new leaf. Your outfit isn't what's important; surviving is. He gave me a once over with his arms over his chest.

"Let's not waste any time. I'm going to start you off with simple exercises to get your muscles accustomed to exertion…"

And _boy_ , did they get accustomed. He worked with me for nearly three hours, taking several breaks during as he had quickly discovered my tolerance level was laughably low. To my surprise, he was fairly patient. We sat down together once again, my clothing and skin completely drenched in sweat as we shared a water bottle, somehow still not showing his face. He, of course, was without fatigue, because fuck everyone, that's why. This was the most physical activity I had ever participated in, this life or the one over. My muscles were going to hate me later.

"Do you intend on taking the advanced placement exam?" While I wasn't looking, he had managed to take another swig from the canteen before passing it back to me. I refrained from dumping the rest of the ice cold water over my perspiring skin.

"No, not really." He gave me another one of those looks, the kind that made me bite my lip and insecurities double. He was quiet for several moments, but kept his lone eye on me the entire time. The urge to flinch away was nearly unbearable.

"…you wouldn't pass, anyway." If it were possible to choke on air, I would've. I get it; he's an asshole ninety percent of the time. But _sheesh_.

"And why do you say that? It can't be too damn hard." I huffed, now being the one with my arms planted firmly over my chest. Answer some questions about the village, yada yada, Will of Fire, blah, blah, blah. If say, Itachi, an actual five year old could and undoubtedly will pass, then a twenty two year old surely could.

"If what you just displayed is all you're capable of, then you wouldn't even have a chance at the physical portion."…physical portion? What physical portion? "…did you really think it was only a written test?" Maybe. Actually, yes. Nothing had been said to me about a physical part of the exam. Thinking back, Kushina _had_ been a bit more insistent that I work on other things besides just my chakra, especially over the last month and a half. I didn't listen, because A; I had one goal in mind, and taijutsu or ninjutsu weren't on the agenda, and B; I didn't have plan on taking it, anyhow. I scratched at the side of my cheek. Going to the academy, and not necessarily graduating, was something I had entertained once or twice before. Mainly because I knew that simply not attending school wouldn't fly with Kushina or Minato, and also because the longer I was exposed to the Uchiha brats, the less and less I wanted to be a part from them. But… the advanced class just wasn't something I had seen on my horizon. Not because I had ever doubted that I could be capable of it, but because I just didn't want the work load I knew I would inevitably receive.

A bitter taste began to surface on my tongue. I was capable of more than just this- I _had_ to be. This wasn't good enough, and I knew that. But having someone else project your own innermost thoughts always stung more than saying them yourself. One thing I want to be known now; I've always had a bad habit of letting my ego drive my decisions. This was one of those times.

"Hmf. I'll prove you wrong, then. I'm going to take the exam, and pass." A bold statement, one he didn't look like he believed the probability of. He quirked his brow, and I thought absently that it appeared he was smirking beyond his mask. It was probably just a trick of the light.

"Alright, Nohara. Prove me wrong." The taunting tone of his voice made my skin prickle, and I averted my eyes away from him to the ground. There was a churning in my gut that I decided to blame on the impending chance of my failure.

•

 **So I decided last night to label whose point of view it is before each new POV, as I can see how it could be confusing for some. I'll go back and update previous chapters today, probably.**

 **In other news, we're almost at the hundredth review! TRIPLE DIGETS! I was thinking, since I consider this a pretty big milestone, that I could do something cool once we reach the hundredth review? Maybe answer any questions you may have as long as it doesn't reveal too much of the plot, or something of the sort. I dunno. I'm just really excited.**


	21. Chapter Nineteen:

•

 **Chapter Nineteen: Wherein Shisui has inner turmoil, Obito's sanity is tested and the results are in.**

•

 **"One thing I want to be known now; I've always had a bad habit of letting my ego drive my decisions. This was one of those times."**

 **Hanami**

The next week was hectic, and wore me out probably just as much as my initial workout with Kakashi. The morning after, Rin and I enlisted the help of Obito and the aforementioned perv in the making to help us transport our belongings to our brand-spankin'-new apartment building, which was a goddamn task even with their help. For whatever reason, probably just as dumb as to why Konoha lacked swimming pools, there was no such thing as moving vans or anything similar. We ended up having to "borrow" a few produce carts to haul our shit from point A to point B, which was quickly turned into a race of who would get there the fastest. Spoiler alert- Kakashi won, and Obito was butthurt about it for the rest of the afternoon. Although, I bet that doesn't come as much of a surprise.

I tossed and turned around on the floor, as we hadn't gotten around to setting up our futon. We still shared a room- for practicability, as the spare room was used for recreational purposes for the both of us. Irrationally on Rin's behalf, as she wanted to keep me as close as possible for every waking and non-waking hour of the day. It didn't bother me at all; Rin was a top notch cuddler. But you know what _does_ bother me? When people knock on the door at eight in the morning.

"I'll get it!" Rin called from in the kitchen, so I took it as an invitation to roll over on my stomach and cover my head with my pillow. "Oh, good morning, Itachi-kun. She's in the bedroom." I love you, bro, but this is _so_ not the time for a play date. Deprived of guilt from the drowsiness that still fogged my judgment, I attempted to feign sleep as his footsteps fell lightly on the wooden floor, leading to mine and Rin's shared bedroom. To me, I felt it looked mighty convincing.

"I know you're not asleep, Hanami-chan." _Brat_. Sighing, I rolled over to face him, and slowly opened one eye. He was trying very hard not to smile.

"Good morning, you little fart. What do you want?" His eyes traveled around the room; from the stacked on top of each other moving boxes, down to my unimpressed, sleepy expression.

"You said you wanted to come watch us spar today, remember?" Oh, right. While actually sparring against either one of them wasn't an option, watching them beat the fuck out of each other was. I was a referee of sorts; I kept track of how many blows landed on whom, who successfully executed the most jutsu, called for them to stop when things were getting too intense, etcetera. I was also doing it for my own gain- I've always been more of a visual learner. Both of their skills in taijutsu were impeccable, and watching it unfold I had picked up a few things I planned to use on Kakashi. He'd probably be severely unruffled, but that was fine. One of these days, I would impress Kakashi Hatake. Mark my words.

"Right, right… just five more minutes." Before I could turn back over, he snatched the covers away from me and tossed them out of reach. Oh, my god. " _FINE_." The little fucker even had the audacity to laugh- although brief, because the average Uchiha is only allotted about five minutes of happiness per day. It's science.

After shooing him from my room and dressing, I grabbed my backpack, kissed my sister on the cheek, and allowed Itachi to usher me out of the door and into the hustle and bustle of early morning Konoha. I'd never get over just how vastly different our new sector of the village is compared to the trash heap we lived in before. It was black and white, or more fitting to the fandom, like the moon and sun. No half dead stray cats, no piss stained dumpsters, no bow-legged prostitutes; just smiling, middle class families that only sort-of judged my sister and I. Apparently, a rumor was going around that Rin was a single mother and I was her three year old little bastard, who was also a boy. I guess I couldn't blame them for their misconceptions on my age and gender- the haircut and height didn't necessarily lean in my favor a hundred percent of the time. Although, at least one of the older ladies said I was "the prettiest little boy I've ever seen". That had to amount to something.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Itachi staring down the scarred over cut on my neck. He had taken to doing that a lot, more than what was mentally healthy. I groaned and covered it with my hand.

"Stop looking at it, Itachi. It's fine." I had stopped covering it for a few reasons. Mainly because I was getting tired of constantly wearing the bandage and scarf combo, and also because there was no use in hiding it. It happened; there was nothing I or anyone could ever do that would change that. The nightmares would fade away, eventually. So would the mark He left on my skin.

"I'm…I'm sorry." He averted his eyes away from me and to the ground as we paused in front of a weapons shop for a moment. I lifted my hand to his head and ruffled his shiny locks, causing a pout to appear on his lips. That's better.

"So, where's Shisui?" I asked, right as we rounded the corner of the butcher shop. Funny, how in the three years I had been his friend, Shisui hadn't once let on that he remembered that day when we first saw each other. He must've just forgotten. Luck finally decided not to fuck me.

"He's already at the training grounds. I'm going to warn you beforehand; he's not in a very good mood today." If one thing could be said about Shisui Uchiha, it was that it would probably take an apocalypse and the entire destruction of the Universe for him to wake up on the wrong side of the bed. It was one thing I liked about him the most. So basically, this was awfully worrisome.

"Do you know why?" We came upon the entrance of the grounds, and Itachi held the gate open for me as I entered.

"Well, he hasn't come out and said it, but I'm thinking it has something to do with Kyo's new girlfriend." If there was one thing that I had long since learned about Kyo Uchiha, is that he did _not_ date. Plow women behind dumpsters, perhaps, but take them out on dates, bring them around his pride and joy, and most importantly, bestow the title of 'girlfriend? Unheard of. I wasn't sure what exactly had happened to his wife, whose name I was vaguely sure was Amane, and I had never scrounged up the courage to ask. He only kept one picture of her displayed around the house, which was a family portrait of them shortly after Shisui was born. According to Itachi, he kept the rest stored away. Whatever her fate may've been, it left indestructible scars littered over his heart. Shisui, thankfully but in the saddest of ways, hadn't been that old before she died, or disappeared, or whichever. Dead parents were like this world's version of crop tops; trendy, but unfortunate.

"Since when does Kyo have a girlfriend?" I probed, just as a loud, frustrated curse filled the air and caused the surrounding wildlife to scurry and flee for cover. We rushed over to find Shisui slumped against a tree, the palm of his hand sliced open as he tried to pressure the wound into halting the constant flow of bloody rivulets. One of many discarded kunai lay haphazardly close to his slouched over body, except this one was stained with fresh blood.

"Shisui, why weren't you being more careful?" Mother Hen Mode: Activate! Only this time it was both Itachi and I, but that wasn't much of a rare occurrence as he crouched down next to Shisui right as I did. I withdrew my medical pack, as Rin had made it an obligation of mine to have it on my person at all times, and retrieved the rubbing alcohol, gauze and medical tape. I took his hand in mine and made quick work of the gushing wound, wincing internally at the strained groan he released as I cleaned it with the burning liquid.

"I-I just… I don't know." I finished securing the newly placed bandage, and for good measure, kissed the palm of his hand lightly.

"It's no medical jutsu, but it'll do for now." Shisui retracted his hand and inspected the bandage, a tinge of red spreading over his cheeks. He shoved both hands in between his crossed legs and kept his head down, but not before muttering a lightning fast 'Thanks, Hanami-chan.' It was almost like the time after my second birthday party, when he had been flustered and so incredibly unsure of himself. Itachi placed his hand on Shisui's knee and squeezed it gently.

"…sorry, guys. I'm just… I don't really know how to say it, actually." I packed up my medical supplies and scooted in closer to him, Itachi keeping his hand enclosed over the older boy's knee. "Dad brought home Inori for the first time last night."

"Is Inori his girlfriend?" I asked, and he only nodded.

"I've met her a few times, but… last night, she cooked for us, and watched movies, and she was still there when I woke up this morning. I dunno. I think she might be trying to replace my mom. I mean, I don't remember that much about her, but still…" his teeth tugged at his bottom lip, and he continued. "She gives me this _really_ odd feeling, too. Like goosebumps, but on the inside." Putting aside how _adorable_ that sounded, I took his good hand in mine and gave it a light squeeze.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Shisui." Itachi always tended to be the voice of reason, and that included now. But, Shisui didn't look so sure. Maybe it was just the fact that he had never been exposed to his father being involved romantically besides the short time he witnessed it with his mother, or possibly, it could be something else. I furrowed my brows thoughtfully. Anything was possible, I had to remind myself. But, I was becoming unable to stand his deep frown any longer; it was _seriously_ killing my vibe, and also, just not something that should ever replace that wonderful smile I had grown to love so much.

"Is there anything we can do to make you feel better?" I implored, although already having something devious in mind. He halfheartedly shrugged his shoulders, his eyes pointed away from me and Itachi. I shot Itachi a quick look, the grin on my face reaching all the way to my ears. He smirked, and nodded. "Well, it's a good thing I do." He was too distracted by his internal conflict to dodge as I lunged forward and lifted his shirt, rapidly brushing my fingertips across his abdomen. His exhilarated laughter filled the training grounds, even more so when Itachi joined the assault on his best friend's sensitive skin.

"G-guys! This i-isn't f-fair!" Tickles weren't supposed to be fair. We only stopped once he threatened to fart on us, because he would've and without a drop of remorse. We settled down, and lied flat on the grass shoulder to shoulder. The baby blue sky was dappled with stray puffs of white, the clouds drifting and morphing into new formations as the minutes dragged on. Their sparring match could wait, I suppose.

"…are you still taking the advanced placement exam, Hanami?" Shisui's voice was shushed and hoarse, his throat and lungs probably raw from his copious giggles only ten minutes before. When I had initially told them that I had decided to partake in the exam, their various levels of confusion and complete awe were pretty comical. Itachi most of all, who more than Shisui was concerned about the sudden and complete mental overhaul. Even I was still surprised by the resolve, but I had my sights set, and I didn't intend to relent until the bruise Kakashi had left on my ego had faded.

"Yeah, I am." Both of their hands inched towards mine until our fingers were laced together, the calm breeze of the late morning ruffling the grass and our hair as we watched the clouds drift by. Add another revelation to the list; if either of them died, a huge part of me would die right along with them.

•

 **Obito**

"So you're _seriously_ gonna sit here and tell me you're not the slightest bit curious- or concerned?" I know I've probably said this a few times, but I couldn't fucking believe this guy. I sat next to Kakashi at the ramen stand, a noodle dangling from the corner of my mouth as I tried desperately not to reach over, wrap my hands around his neck and squeeze the life out of him. I had partially put my worries aside at Rin's explanation for why Hanami had gone to such great measures to cover her neck, but completely freaked out when I showed up at their house the day after their move to see that she hadn't covered the wound with a bandage that day. It was huge- and no way had it happened accidentally. It looked… well, like someone had slit her throat. It was red, and angry, and I didn't see how something like that didn't make Kakashi want answers just like I did.

"I'm not saying that, Obito. But if we haven't been told the truth outright, then that means it's probably classified information." He was right, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to find out what had happened, if it was the last thing I did. I mean, almost all of the hospital staff just up and dies the same day that we were deployed, and Rin, Hanami, and that Haruno woman were the only survivors? What the fuck?

"I don't give a hot squirt of piss if it's classified or not, Kakashi!" His eye crinkled in what could've been disgust or minor amusement, and fished money from his pocket to pay for his meal before standing, and after doing the same, I followed after him. "Look, I know you're all about rules, regulations and junk, but the entire village is keeping a gigantic secret from us! Doesn't that bother you at all?" We paused at the weapons shop and stepped inside, a bell chiming above the doorway to alert the storekeeper of our entrance. A woman, probably a few years older than Kushina, worked the counter. She dusted her hands over her shirt and looked up to greet us, and smiled pleasantly.

"Hello, how can I help you?" Konoha was a pretty big village, so it wasn't odd or rare that I didn't immediately recognize someone. But once you've lived here long enough, every face you see has a place in your memory. Hers didn't. With bright green eyes and shiny, brass colored hair, I felt like I would've been able to pick her out from a crowd of a hundred different people.

"We're fine, thank you." Kakashi's voice was even, but I could tell by the look in his eye that he was just as suspicious of her as I was. At least in this respect, we were on the same page. I turned my back to her and busied myself with a katana I'd probably never be able to afford or even know how to use, and spared glances at her from over my shoulder every once and a while. She was leafing through the pages of a magazine, her hand trailing up to tuck a lock of glossy hair behind her ear. A string of curses flooded my brain when a blush came to life on my cheeks, and I averted my attention back to the weapon in my hands. I sat it back down on the display after nearly slicing my finger off, and let my hands fall to my sides. Kakashi's eye went back and forth from me, the kunai set he in his hands, and the alarmingly hot woman at the counter. My fingers twitched, and after biting at the inside of my cheek so hard I nearly drew blood, I marched over to the desk, stumbling in the process, because I'm fucking Obito Uchiha. God, I suck at life sometimes.

"Uh… so, I don't think I've seen you around before, miss… Inori?" My eyes scanned over her name tag that was unfortunately directly over her right tit, and wanted to kick my own ass when she blushed and situated her arms over her chest. Whatever God or gods that may be pulling the strings, could one of you spare me and shoot a lightning bolt at my head before I kill off any of my remaining dignity? Thanks in advance.

"Well, I just moved here in early February, so you probably haven't yet. It's nice to meet you, Uchiha-san." The blaring, in your face Uchiha symbol on the back of my jacket really prevented me from being mistaken for say, a Hyūga. I grinned, trying very hard not to blush yet again and make any more of an ass out of myself that I already had.

"Uh, just call me Obito." I scratched behind my head, a nervous tick I had picked up after entering the academy, and tried to subtly scan my eyes over her face. In an odd way, she looked empty, and the smile she forced onto her lips didn't reach her eyes. A thought jumped forward in my mind, and I looked over my shoulder to see if Kakashi was watching. He wasn't, but I knew he was probably listening. Whatever. He could get mad at me later. "Say, would you happen to know what went down at the hospital a few weeks ago? I was deployed the day of, and no one's told me." Surprise took over her expression, and then settled into something between remorse and anger. Maybe I just should've kept my mouth shut.

"Yes… yes, I do. It was absolutely abhorrent." she looked around herself and then leaned over the counter. "I know it's classified, but I feel like everyone in the village has the right to know. One of the Sannin attacked the hospital before deflecting from the village. There were only a few survivors, but…" she turned her head away, a flash of guilt in her eyes that made me narrow my brows. What an odd lady. "It was just a mess." Heh, no kidding. I felt anger, at first. Rin should've just told me. I knew why she didn't, but trying to keep that in mind while picturing Hanami-chan getting her throat slashed was nearly impossible.

Kakashi appeared at my side, the kunai set he had been inspecting placed on the counter. His brow was turned downwards in what I guess was his version of a scowl while only showing less than one-fourth of his face. He sat money in front of Inori to pay for the kunai, and after doing so, we both said our goodbyes and left the building. I looked over my shoulder, only to see her watching us from behind the glass. A shiver ran down my spine, but I shrugged it off. It was probably nothing.

"You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" His voice lacked the murderous edge I had expected it to as we stepped down the beaten, dirt path. I didn't look at him, and instead tried to ignore the queasy, skin prickling feeling that was churning violently in my gut. I wasn't sure which creeped me out the most; that look in Inori's eyes, or the never ending reel of Hanami having a kunai drawn across her neck. I didn't even have it in me to march into the hospital as we passed it, and corner Rin into having an actual discussion about that day. I shoved my hands deep in my pockets, and stayed quiet until we sat down on a bench near the entrance of the park.

"…No, but I kinda wished I had." He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, but said nothing. I couldn't tell if he was just as angry or nothing at all.

•

 **Hanami**

The academy was huge- well, not exactly _huge_ , but bigger than I had expected or remembered it to be. Maybe it was just my small stature that made everything seem so incredibly massive, I dunno. I was at the front of the school with my sister on one side and Kushina and Minato on the other, with my hands tucked inside of my pockets. Meditating earlier that morning definitely took the edge off. Hell, if only I had had that trick up my sleeve during high school, maybe I wouldn't have flunked so many finals.

We got there early, but already a small mass of people had shown up. Mainly clan kids; actually, I was fairly sure I was the only child here that didn't have a prominent name tacked on like a hood ornament. Our little huddle was the last in line, and after all of my forms had been handed over to the chūnin manning the table, it was time to say our goodbyes.

"We're so proud of you, you know." Kushina beamed, as she crouched down to meet my height and place her hands on my shoulders. "You're going to do so well, I just know it." Realistically, I knew that they were pushing me so hard mainly because Konoha could really use all the ninja they could get their grubby hands on, and whatever potential I may've had was potential all the same. I forced a smile; I had gotten a lot better at making the fake ones look convincing.

"Good luck, kiddo." Minato said, the grin he was so famous for adorning his tanned features. He ruffled my short hair, something he had taken to doing more often now that it had been cut, and I gave him the same smile I did Kushina.

"Thanks, guys. I'll see you after I'm done." Before I could walk off, Rin grabbed my sleeve and yanked me into a tight hug. I squeezed her back just as hard, nearly having to have Kushina pry her away after the embrace carried on for well over fifteen seconds. Rin, almost a tad surprisingly, had been the least enthusiastic about me taking the exam. This whole fiasco at the hospital had scarred her just as much as it had me, and the thought of me being anywhere near a kunai made her bite her nails. Understandably, because I could've fucking died. But she wasn't the type to hold me back, so she had agreed reluctantly to allow me to take it, even if she was incredibly surprised and a little apprehensive.

"I'll be fine, Sis. I promise." Truthfully, it wasn't just her I was trying to reassure. I needed it as much as she did. This wasn't going to be a walk in the park; and if by chance I did pass, the actual classwork wouldn't be, either. And it wasn't just Kakashi I wanted to prove wrong; it was myself, just as much. When I had taken my SAT's all those years ago, I had told myself that I wouldn't pass. That there was no way I had studied hard enough, that I was smart enough to receive the score I wanted. That's what my downfall had always been; with many things about myself, it was time to put those old habits to rest. Things were different. _I_ was different. Leda was the worry ridden, anxiety debilitated seventeen year old with a knack for illegal substances and sexual promiscuity. Hanami had the potential to probably be so much more than that- although probably just as horny, once puberty hit. I could be _strong_. I could be _confident_. I could be everything I had always wanted to be, but always too afraid to. I had a chance, and I realized I didn't want to pass it up. I didn't have to be a ninja. I just had to be better than a sniveling, powerless little girl that had no means of protecting herself.

"I know you will, Hanami-chan. I know." We shared a look, probably longer than what I really had the time for, before she kissed my forehead and stood, taking a few steps back until she was next to my faux parents. I turned my back to them, and after a moment, got lost in the crowd as we were ushered to the exam room. Itachi was already inside, taking to his assigned seat at an opposite end of the room from mine. I was to be in the middle, so I quickly located my appointed desk and sat down on the hard, wooden bench. I caught Itachi looking my way, a smile playing on his lips. He'd be fine, and so would I.

… _annnnnndd_ I was, up until the physical portion. The written exam was exactly as I had expected it to be; a little higher than fourth grade level mathematics, lengthy but generic questions about the village, and then basic questions of the do's and don'ts of ninjahood. I flew through it, answering each question with added ease and a growing smirk.

That smirk was wiped clean from my face as soon as the nitty gritty stuff began, however; as in, a thorough physical exam I barely scraped by with the skin of my teeth. I was probably the dead last, as pride bruising as it was. Several of the clan children had whispered questions back and forth from each other, wondering why I was even here with an added snicker or two. I ignored them as best as I could, and concentrated on not dying from lack of oxygen to my brain. I fucking refused to stay like this. I had to get better, and as fast as possible. This drive for greatness was amplified as I watched my little Uchiha prodigy breeze pass each exercise, blow through each lap around the school and throw kunai, each landing precisely on the bull's eye every single time. It was pointless to compare oneself to an Uchiha, but it was _so_ hard not to. I ground my teeth together, but showed Itachi no malice as he grinned over to me, having been praised profusely by the chūnin examiner at the end of the physical test. Being jealous of a child was almost as pathetic as nearly passing out in the middle of my fifth pushup.

Two days passed, and an orange, nerve rattling envelope arrived in the mail. I tore it open with vigor, a smirk pulling my lips to the side as my eyes scanned over the neatly printed words. I sprang from my chair, only pausing to tell my sister where I was going and that I would return shortly. He should be at the dango or ramen stand at this time of day, as this was usually when Gai would challenge him to some kind of eternal rival type stand off or when he decided to socialize. I pushed through the streets, paying no mind as I nearly knocked over a produce cart and received murderous threats from the man who had been pushing it down the road. I was on a mission, dammit.

And like I had expected, there he was, seated in the middle chair at the ramen bar, Gai and Ibiki at his sides. I grabbed the seat of the chair and spun him around with every ounce of might my puny muscles contained, and once he was facing me, flung the envelope at his masked face. He caught it without much pause, and raised his visible brow. After panting in an attempt to regain my breath for several seconds, I pointed a finger directly in his face, stopping only a centimeter or two in front of his nose.

"Read it and _weep_ , you condescending, demeaning shitstick!" He looked like he felt like rolling his eye, but opened the envelope and retrieved what was inside like I had asked him to instead. He pulled the stapled stack of papers out and inspected them quickly, quirking his brow once he came upon the final page.

"Hm. You passed. Barely, but you passed." My chest heaved up and down, but I still smirked up at him, and made a triumphant sound with my finger pointed in his face once again.

"You're damn right I did!" I finally got my breathing back to normal, and lowered my hand as the seconds ticked on in silence. It was a bit concerning, especially as I could clearly make out the smallest of smiles from beyond his mask.

"…I never had a single doubt that you would." The grin slowly fell from my face, a confused frown now tugging at my lips. His smile only seemed to grow as my confusion did, and finally a satisfied glint shined in his eye as metaphorical bells chimed in my head. That fucking _bastard_.

"Kushina put you up to it, didn't she?" He shrugged one shoulder before standing, his hands now plunged deep into his pockets. The shit eating, total troll he had been before was starting to show his face- or that probably wasn't the best term of phrase, considering we're talking Kakashi Hatake, here, but you catch my drift.

"Yes. Now, I'll see you tomorrow morning, same training grounds as always. Be there on time." He turned his back to me and started in the opposite direction, with my slack jawed glare left in the dust. I could hardly form intelligent thought, let alone words. Kushina must've known I would only need a little provocation to tip me over the edge, and Kakashi questioning my capabilities would do the trick. I felt cheated, and _really_ fucking dumb. I stared down at the envelope in my hands, groaning loudly a moment later before slapping my hand against my forehead. There was no undoing it now. I was officially an academy student, placed in the advanced class under the tutelage of one Kazuki Akiyama, whoever the fuck that was. Ibiki patted me roughly and without much sympathy on the shoulder, while Gai said something about youth and the glory of life as a ninja that I chose to ignore.

Fuck me.

•

 **So a few things happened that prevented this chapter from being posted sooner. Firstly, this fic as a whole experienced a** _ **major**_ **identity crisis. As in where I was even going plot wise, character development along with relationship development, how beaten into the ground this particular timeline/plot is and if it's even worth writing anymore, etcetera. I briefly considered just taking it down and starting from scratch or just abandoning it, but tossing out 107,000+ words just didn't seem worth it in the end. Speaking of those 107,000 words; holy** _ **shit**_ **, if this were a physical book, it would be thicker than the** _ **Sorcerer's Stone**_ **. I just feel like I haven't even touched the real plot, and yet this is longer than the typical young adult novel. I know that these types of fics tend to be lengthy, but I** _ **really**_ **need to start trimming the fat, you know? I don't want to go another twenty chapters without a plot in sight. But fear not; I have a better idea in mind of what I plan on doing, and have no intention of stopping anytime soon. Updating shall continue as usual, probably.**

 **Also, I went back and reread the entire fic to further proof read; I hadn't realized just how many typos I managed to look over.** _ **Wow-e**_ **. So please, if you note any series or minor grammatical errors, let me know. I'll go back over and edit everything over the next few days. I think I should probably find an official beta to make sure no mistakes are in the final draft, but I don't really know how to go about contacting one. If anyone is interested and has the free time, PM me, maybe?**

 **Fun Fact: While I've read quite a few of the more popular SI/OC inserts, I have never read Dreaming of Sunshine. Not that I doubt that it's wonderful, as I've read tons Silver Queen's other work, I've just never gotten around to reading DOS.**


	22. Chapter Twenty:

•

 **Chapter Twenty: Wherein Obito packs a lunch, Itachi gets a girlfriend(s) and Kabuto makes a new friend.**

•

 **"…I was officially an academy student, placed in the advanced class under the tutelage of one Kazuki Akiyama, whoever the fuck that was."**

 **Hanami**

I don't remember my first day of school much. All that really came to mind was copious amounts of tears, screaming, and my dad unceremoniously shoving me into the backseat of our minivan, with the promise of candy if I shut the fuck up and cooperated. Today wasn't nearly as dramatic, but just as stressful. I woke up late, and hadn't had the time I needed for my morning hour of meditation, and it was _seriously_ getting to me.

I stood in front of our floor length mirror with a deep frown on my face. I still avoided any mirror in our house or anyone else's like my very life depended on it, but today was one of the few days I was willing to suck up any of the lingering discomfort that came from viewing my own reflection. I don't guess discomfort is really the right word; more like an overwhelming sense that something was very, tremendously wrong. Dysmorphia, maybe. That shoe seemed to fit better. While the haircut definitely made things feel more at home, that didn't solve the problem of mentally preparing myself to see a tall, red headed girl in my reflection, but then being met with a scrawny, tanned gnome of a child. Maybe in another five years I'd feel like myself again.

"Are you almost ready, Hanami-chan?" Rin appeared in the doorway, her hands pressing hoops into her earlobes with her uniform shirt flung over her shoulder. Since officially becoming a civilian, she had taken to enjoying luxuries that she typically didn't indulge in; like dangly jewelry, letting her hair grow longer and wearing a subtle amount of makeup. Watching Rin just be a person, I had discovered, was one of my new favorite pastimes. But more on that later, when I wasn't feeling ready to rip my hair out.

"U-uh…yeah, sis. As ready as I'll ever be." My words came out rushed and in pieces. I tore my eyes away from the mirror, and paced back and forth along the length of our much larger than before bedroom. My outfit was a project I had been working on over the last few months, and I was awfully proud of it, especially considering it was entirely sewn by hand. In my old life, a perfectly put together ensemble would've made the sun shine much brighter for me. Today, that couldn't quite be said.

Rin pulled her shirt over her head and made her way over to me, crouching down to my eye level. She tucked some of the wispy strands of hair behind my ear, and gave me a sunny, reassuring smile. Sure enough, it helped ease some of the panic that was threatening to cause me to break down into a full blown stuttering, sobbing disaster.

"You look adorable, and you're going to do absolutely fine, ok? Itachi and Shisui are in your class, so you won't be by yourself. It'll be alright, I promise." She pulled me close and placed a kiss to my forehead. I exhaled a shaky sigh, but the panic I had been experiencing before was slowly relinquishing its hold on me.

"You're right, sis…thank you." Taking a long, deep breath, I retrieved my backpack from the corner of the room that I had discarded it in the day before. I had cleared out all of the personal, plot-pertaining-to bits and tucked them away in one of our dresser drawers. Since Rin knew basically everything, there wasn't a reason why I would have the need to keep things where she wouldn't think to look. Currently, I had taken on the hand cramping task of scribbling down everything I could remember about the plot before- taking extra care to sort through October Tenth and the massacre it would later and inadvertently lead to. Yeah, _definitely_ didn't need to keep that with my school books and crayons.

If Kushina hadn't of had a prenatal doctor's appointment that morning, she and Minato would've been here to walk me to school, too. Our hands joined together like two puzzle pieces as Rin locked the door behind us. Though, we probably wouldn't have even needed to. The part of the village we now called home was just as free of crime as the Christian suburbs of 1950's America. Not nearly as racist and sexist, however. I took in a lungful of the still, early May air. All things considering, it was a nice day. Hotter than fuck as per usual, but habitable nonetheless.

"What was school like where you lived before?" We had gotten down the metal staircase and past our neighboring apartment complex when my sister sparked up a conversation.

"Well for starters, you had to attend twelve years of it, and then another four, to eight, to twelve if you _really_ wanted to excel in society and rack up a staggering debt. Also, I hated pretty much every second of it." I hummed to myself, jumping into a clear blue puddle of water as we walked past it. Rin giggled, the sound causing a smile to form on my lips. A second later, Obito appeared out of nowhere, quite literally. Ninja were cool like that. After stabilizing myself after a near heart attack, I was given a kiss to the top of my head and a bento box.

"Happy First-Day-of-School, Hanami-chan!" He sung, taking my other hand in his after I had gently placed the bento into my school bag. "Are you excited?"

"Nah, not at all. But thanks for the bento, Obito-nii. You're definitely husband material." He blushed and stuttered at my comment, to both mine and Rin's enjoyment. I hummed to myself, despite the feeling of dread that I had for today's events. School had been the main source of my sleepless nights and high blood pressure since middle school. While the circumstances were vastly different, the trepidation I felt was just the same. I mean, fucking _ninja_ school, man. I wondered how hardcore they were going to try and brainwash us into being down with murder. It was probably ridiculous.

"Did you bring the camera, Obito?" Rin asked, as we rounded another corner and became that much closer to our destination. He started rummaging through the cavernous pockets of his cargo pants, and retrieved a black, disposable camera much like the ones they had back in Non-Ninja Land. "Good. Kushina would _kill_ us if we didn't get any pictures." I groaned. I was _not_ a photogenic being, by any stretch of the imagination. Although, maybe that wouldn't be the case this time around. Disregarding any lingering distaste of being stuck in this body, I could admit I was a much cuter child than I had been before. My ugly duckling phase had lasted from birth until puberty.

"We can't _not_ take pictures of your first day of school, Hanami-chan! This is like the biggest day of your life so far!" Actually, the biggest day of this life was the one where I got sucked from one dimension into this one. I groaned again, this time more theatrical than a serious complaint. The academy finally came into view, and a hard lump solidified in my throat that rebuffed any attempts at being swallowed down. They were _just_ a bunch of brats. They could _not_ intimidate me; or they shouldn't, but they did.

The entire front of the school was crowded by a mass of bodies, consisting of ninja hopefuls and their parents. I was surprised by how many people were here, actually. This would have to of been the largest amount of enrollments they've had in years. Both of their grips on my hands tightened. From her bag, Rin retrieved my forms and stood in line for registration. I started jogging in place just to keep myself occupied. I would have continued doing this if someone hadn't of flung themselves at me, nearly knocking my sister and Obito over in doing so. Really, I didn't even need to look to know who it was. Shisui was blatantly obvious like that.

"Hanami-chan!" I wrapped my arms around his neck as he twirled me around in a three hundred sixty degree turn. Behind him followed Itachi, his parents and of course Kyo, who looked on at us in fond amusement. I giggled as I was finally sat back down, and once my feet were on the ground I moved onto Itachi, hugging the boy just as feverishly as I had Shisui. Any insecurities I had been experiencing before had been wiped clean from my mind. I swear, these boys had super powers.

"So, changed your mind, huh?" Kyo questioned, his face cracked into two by a toothy grin. He roused my hair, and I beamed up at him. He was probably the tallest person I had come across yet. He had to be at least six foot five, if not taller. If only I would be so blessed by the gods to grow just as tall, but I doubted that was in my impending future. I'd probably be a garden gnome for eternity.

"Well, whose gonna watch after these two if I'm not around?" He laughed openly, and ruffled my shortened locks again. I decided to keep the trickery and complete dumbassery that landed me in this position to myself. Fugaku eyed me from head to toe, but said nothing. I wasn't sure how he ended up with other halves like Kyo and Mikoto; they couldn't be more different. But I guess opposites truly do attract. The latter was undoubtedly pinned to him by his parents anyhow, but I digress.

The line moved forward, and at once, our little cluster was at the front of the registration tables. The teacher's faces were unknown to me, but at the sight of my sister and me, one of them immediately became alert. He was handsome, with wavy black hair, hazel eyes and a jawline sharp enough to kill a man.

"Rin? Rin Nohara?" He questioned, his lips quickly pulling into an award winning smile. She nodded and handed him my forms, which he took, but didn't inspect. "As in Michio Nohara's daughter?"

"Oh, yes, I'd be the one." he stood and held his hand out for a handshake, which she tentatively accepted. Obtio eyed him suspiciously and crossed his arms. If he kept it up, he'd be greener than the Hulk. "Um, did you know my dad?" He smiled broadly, a flush forming on his cheeks as he scratched behind his head.

"Actually, he was my teacher. My name is Kazuki Akiyama. I was hoping one of his children would end up in my class this year." He peered down at me then; I wasn't even tall enough for my nose to reach past the table. "You must be Hanami!" I blinked owlishly at his grinning features, completely at a loss for words. He was mighty fine, that was for sure.

"Oh, I think we met once or twice when you were still in the academy yourself!" Rin chimed in, her face alive with a glowing smile. Before the pleasantries could continue any further, the other chūnin teacher jabbed the man named Kazuki roughly in the ribs, a coy smirk on his lips.

"You can flirt with Michio-sensei's daughter later, Kazuki. You're holding up the line." He sputtered and promptly sat back down into his chair. He quickly skimmed over my forms, and handed me a slip of paper after he was finished. It was a bright pink name tag that I stamped onto the front of my shirt. Him and my sister nodded to each other, both blushing, before we moved out from the front of the line, Obito trailing behind us with his arms still planted firmly over his chest. Peanut butter and jealous, much?

"Quit making that face, Obito. It'll get stuck like that." Of course the pouting didn't stop; if anything, it got worse.

"You were flirting with him." He said, with his arms still crossed and his head turned to the side. She blushed furiously and denied his claims, stammering the entire time. I sighed, rocking back and forth on my feet. Young love truly was a curious thing. The little herd of Uchiha rejoined us, the boys both donning their own pink name tags. It wasn't a good color for them. Maybe that's way they only wore black, grey and blue.

"It's almost time to go, Hanami-chan." At once, I felt anxious all over again. They must've sensed it, because both of them grabbed my hands. Deep breaths, Hanami. It's just ninja school. One of the chūnin instructors pulled the academy doors open then, and parents began telling their goodbyes to their children before they were ushered inside. I let go of my Uchiha for a moment, as worry crept its way onto my sister's expression.

"Behave, alright? And try to make some more friends, and don't blurt out in the middle of class, and if anyone picks on you, I'm giving you permission to stand up for yourself, o-ok?" I saluted her before she pulled me into a restrictive hug, not letting go until I complained of my lack of oxygen. She fumbled over an apology as she ran her hands over my outfit and hair, making sure everything was in order. She really was great at this whole mothering thing. "Oh! I almost forgot to take pictures!" even though we didn't really have the time, Obito handed her the camera.

"Say 'ninja'!" I proceeded to grin as big as my face could possibly manage, Shisui fell into an impromptu battle stance, and Itachi smiled like he always did. I feel like it captured our dynamic perfectly. After a few more photos were taken and after Rin had to practically be dragged away by Obito, we entered the academy, both of their hands in mine. More deep breaths.

•

I honestly don't know what I expected. Well, yeah, I did, actually. I had expected them to blab on about the great 'ol Will of Fire and how awesome it is to be hired to kill people. I had also anticipated having work thrown at me the first day, and I was correct in that assumption. I had figured that Itachi and Shisui would immediately become popular with the ladies, which they did. It made me want to puke a little.

Since Shisui had been attending for a year prior, he had already accumulated a rather impressive following. Not that he knew it; the boy was as oblivious as Naruto was to Hinata's weird fixation. Itachi was just the same. Their kindness only fueled the fire, it seemed. Lunch had been spent with me awkwardly trying to ignore both of my best friends being ogled, and kunoichi class was moving along with me attempting to look past the venomous glares being thrown my way. These children were fucking _vicious_.

I poked my needle through the fabric absently, having already finished the written assignment on the importance of kunoichi we were given and now moved on to the next thing on our agenda. While I was in the advanced academic class, recess, lunch and kunoichi classes merged all of the students together. Meaning, I had to breathe the same air as all of the little fuckers from the classes over. It was nauseating. I already didn't like kids, but this was just amplifying my distaste by about a million. My brow twitched as a group of girls whispered inaudible shit talking into each other's ears, and cursed under my breath when my sewing needle punctured my index finger. I tore off a piece from some of the fabric I was working on and tied it snugly around my finger. That would have to do for now, until I retrieved my backpack and got a proper bandage from the med pack Rin had gifted me. That seemed to be her preferred token of affection.

"So, you're Hanami?" I looked up to be greeted by the group of girls that had spent the entire day talking trash about my existence. They looked like typical filler; bland color scheme, predictable clothing and condescending smirks that made me want to punch a wall. I had flashbacks of Sakura's time in the academy, when Ino had saved her ass from girls that were quite similar in appearance and motive. The thought alone made me angry enough; as her big sister, I was going to do my damnedest to make sure she wouldn't be thrown into the world without the knowledge and confidence needed to defend herself.

"Yeah…" I drawled, turning my attention back to what I had been working on before being interrupted. "But I have a feeling you don't actually care."

"Yeah, well, we've got something to tell you." I made a 'hm' sound, alluding for her to continue. "You can't talk to Itachi or Shisui anymore." …Oh, my _god_. Was this _seriously_ happening to me? I couldn't help it; I giggled once, and hid the rest behind the back of my hand.

"Stop laughing! We're serious, you know!"

"That's the funny part!" turning my attention away from them for a moment, I saw that it was nearly noon, which was when this class was scheduled to end. I stood and moved beside them, and handed in my finished paper to my teacher. "Y'know, even if I tried to not talk to them- which I won't, and you are stupid for trying to get me to- they'd track me down and force me to socialize with them. That's just how they work." The girl at the front, who I knew by her name tag to be called Hikari, stepped into my personal bubble and planted her pointer finger to my chest. My teacher stayed aloof, reading from a book instead of keeping an eye on her shitty students.

"Well, that's too bad. You can't talk to them anymore, and you'll listen, if you know what's good for you." She was at least half a head taller than I was, and was attempting to use that to her advantage. I sighed. Maybe my fear of these children had truly been misplaced. If anything, they were just causing me to have a migraine.

"Um, _no_. Not happening." I put some distance between us and tucked my arms behind my back. "You don't get to tell me what to do, for one- that privilege lies solely on my sister. Also, you don't intimidate me, so you should stop trying. It's annoying."

"Well, we have dibs on them! Stay away or else!" The girl manning the front had the audacity to invade my space again, this time giving me a hard shove. I sighed again. The fucking _degeneracy_. I rolled my eyes, turning on my heel to leave the classroom once the sound of the bell filled the air.

"See ya!" I waved at them and dashed through the door, not once looking back. They called after me as I retreated down the hall, but I kept speeding by the other students toward the playground. I slowed my pace and looped my arm around Itachi's, who had been walking by himself before I had scouted him out. A smile spread across his face, a single dimple appearing on his right cheek. I could definitely see where the infatuation came from.

"How was kunoichi class?" He asked, as we walked through the double doors and into the playground. I let go of him and leaned against the side of the swing set, my expression downcast in faux hurt.

"Fine, until I was informed I'm no longer allowed to be friends with you or Shisui." I swung my body around on the pole, trying very hard not to erupt in a fit of giggles.

"And who said that?" He inquired, his smile now replaced by a deep frown. It was _really_ taking all of the will I possessed not to grin from ear to ear, but I remained composed.

"Oh, just your girlfriend. Or rather, girlfriends. Why didn't you tell me you and Shisui are polygamists?" And that was when he turned into a tomato. The blush spread over his cheeks and nearly reached his ears. I could no longer contain myself; I giggled once, then giggled some more when his lips morphed into a pout.

"I do _not_ have any girlfriends, Hanami. I'm five."

"Four years, eleven months, actually." I sniggered when he crossed his arms, now in full on brooding mode. For being a future deadly assassin, he sure could pout like a champ. "You might want to tell them that. All of them are pretty convinced they'll be the next Uchiha matriarch."

"That is absolutely ridiculous. They hardly even know me." the blush subsided along with the downward turn of his lips, and was replaced by an adorably confused expression. Itachi, admittedly, was a stunning human being. Long lashes, dark eyes and a smile that could cause women far past their prime to swoon. And as he aged, his ovary shattering abilities would only increase. I crossed my arms over the railing between the two support beams of the swing set and drummed my fingers over my forearm. I had never really been an Uchiha fangirl, per se. But now, especially as I had gotten to know Itachi along with a select few others of the clan, I could definitely see the attraction. Not that I had a crush on him, or Shisui, or any other male or female donning the infamous crest. "…Hanami, why are you looking at me like that?"

I blinked, having been so absorbed in my own musings that I hadn't even realized that my eyes had been focused in on him the entire time. Weirdly enough, as everyone else I knew seemed to have the ability, it was rare that Itachi could fluster me. My lips tugged into a lopsided grin as I reached forward and pressed my index finger against the tip of his nose.

"Y'know, you really are beautiful, Itachi-chan." Redness rapidly engulfed his cheeks, my finger still pressed against his nose. A laugh bubbled over from deep within my throat as I retracted my hand, the smile on my lips only growing. On my growing list of hobbies, making Itachi blush was earning a spot at number one. Off to the side, the girl and her pack of bitches glared at me as if their stares alone had the ability to shoot lasers and turn me into dust. I was rather thankful that looks in fact were _not_ deadly. Itachi stood absolutely still with his blush still ever-present, even as Shisui came charging towards us.

"Guys, guys, guess what- hey, what's wrong with Itachi?" Shisui's brows receded upwards as he shook the smaller boy in a not so gentle way, which hardly even received a reaction. Itachi shook his head, the blush having faded a fraction.

"Oh, nothing, Shisui. Hey, wouldn't you say that Itachi is beautiful?"… _aaaand_ the blush came roaring back with a vengeance. Shisui hummed thoughtfully, and lifted Itachi's head side to side by his chin in an inspecting manner.

"Yeah, I'd say so." Itachi narrowed his brows and slapped Shisui's hand away, causing the older boy to laugh uproariously. "Oh, come on, Itachi-chan! It's a compliment!" I swear, if he blushed any harder, he'd die of heat exhaustion. "If only I was as pretty as you!"

"Well, who said you aren't?" I questioned, making Shisui redden much like his younger counterpart. Shisui, nearly identical to his father, had prominent and sharp features that made him fairly distinctive among the members of his clan. Their appearance only differed when it came to Shisui's eyes, which were less rounded and had lashes that flared at the very outer corners. In a more masculine way, he was just as pleasing to the eye as Itachi.

"Well, uh… no one, I guess." His hand trailed up to scratch at the side of his cheek, in a nearly mandatory sign of embarrassment. _God_ , I loved these dorks.

"You are, too." Itachi had finally regained his ability to speak, but his words caused both Shisui and I to look at him with raised brows. "You're beautiful too, Hanami." And here is one of the many times I will be proven wrong; Itachi Uchiha, apparently, _can_ in fact make my face redder than Kushina's hair. Who woulda fuckin' thunk it.

"Awww, look! Hanami, you're blushing!" Shisui reached forward and grabbed my cheeks, pinching and pulling at the inflamed skin. I slapped at his hands until he relinquished his grip, and folded my arms over my chest afterwards. Itachi had an almost smug look in his eyes, the furious blush that had spanned over his cheeks now settled down into a light pink.

"Happy now, you butt?" He tucked his arms behind him and walked past me, bumping me lightly in my side with his elbow.

" _Yes_." Shisui looped his arm under mine and the other under Itachi's, pulling us toward the rest of the playground. It was hard to be aggravated with either of the boys, and any irritation I had felt faded the longer we walked.

"So, I was saying, you guys are _not_ going to believe this…"

•

The park after school had ended was almost dismal, the only sound coming from the chain links of the swing as I moved my body back and forth. I had opted out of going to Shisui's for dinner or training afterwards, as some alone time seemed to be in order. The day's events had left me oddly nostalgic, the dull pain in my chest one that was hard to ignore. Thinking about my old life and family only brought me grief, so I tried not to. But today had spurred some old memories that I'd really rather forget. I sighed, my sandal clad foot digging into the dirt as I came to a stop.

Trying to forget seventeen years of life was impossible, and there was no use trying. I hummed, a mournful and humorless smile pulling at my lips. My recent definition of family had drastically shifted away from my previous perspective. Family now included a two bedroom apartment with my teenaged and hormone ridden sister; family now was sleepovers with Minato and Kushina, or tea with Itachi and Shisui, even if it was incredibly unwise to allow the latter to consume caffeine of any kind. Family now was the warmth that filled my chest whenever I looked into Sakura's eyes, even if I wasn't willing to admit a growing bond between us ninety percent of the time.

My mother, father, and brothers would have wanted me to be happy, even if it was a life without them, and I wanted the same thing likewise. My fate was what it was; hell, while being plucked into this godforsaken universe wasn't necessarily plan A, I had chosen this fate. I had jumped. I didn't have to, but I did. The only thing I could do now was accept things as they were, and lingering on Leda wasn't going to bring me happiness. Being Hanami, however, had the chance to. I was going to grow up here. I was going to live here, and I was going to die here, only this time around I didn't plan on drunkenly drowning my dumb ass in the ocean. Everything would be fine.

"You're Hanami, right?" I turned my head in alarm, only to be met by the tentative stare from one Kabuto Yakushi. I wasn't sure if the sight of him made me want to knock his teeth out, or just absolutely livid that Orochimaru could get away with manipulating a little boy into doing his bidding. A shiver wracked my body, the name causing something akin to nausea to settle in my stomach.

Something occurred to me, then; I didn't recall Kabuto having been entered in the academy in the plot before. From what I could remember, Orochimaru and Danzō had trained him privately themselves. My brows rose, then drew together slightly. I wanted to believe that something had just happened differently by whatever stroke of the Universe, and that he had decided to become a ninja and entered the academy on his own accord. Kabuto, as a young child, didn't cause me any uneasiness, necessarily; but his affiliations to the baddest of the bad, did. As he took light, apprehensive steps toward me, I found myself unable to be cruel to him. Maybe he was playing me, feigning that innocent look in his dark, lonesome eyes. If that were the case, maybe I could play him right back.

"Oh, hey, Kabuto-kun." The honorific didn't quite roll off my tongue with ease, but it seemed fitting. He eyed me with a bemused look, but took a stance at my right nonetheless. He leaned against the adjacent tree and tucked his arms behind him, the light his glasses had been reflecting now shadowed by the long, whip like branches. He sure played the part of 'harmless, completely trustworthy and totally unsuspicious child' well. Let's just cross our fingers that it's not a role in some fucked up play and I'm the village idiot.

"I've never even told you my name." he stated matter-of-factly, the curious look in his eyes still remaining. I hummed to myself and began swinging again, keeping my head tilted in his direction. My scar, while mostly being covered by my shirt, was now exposed as my sleeve had slipped down over my shoulder. His eyes widened, something almost like pain crossing his expression. "So… it's true. He really _did_ try to kill you." I snorted, the amused sound making him furrow his brows.

"If he was going to kill me, he would've. We're still trying to figure out why, he… _y'know_." I gestured to the scar awkwardly, and he averted his eyes to the ground. Maybe Orochimaru really _did_ only seek to traumatize me, or teach me some kind of lesson. I guess he wasn't a villain without reason. I shut my eyes tightly and shook my head. I couldn't let him control me; it was just _so_ hard not to. I exhaled through my nostrils, and pivoted my head back around with one brow raised. "How do you know who 'he' is, anyhow?" Instead of reacting like being caught in some kind of lie, he merely shrugged.

"The nuns at the orphanage gossip a lot." Made sense. But could I really believe that? Probably not. I turned myself around until I was straddling the wooden seat, and looked up at Kabuto through my lashes. He didn't seem threatening, at all. But he didn't to the Rookie Nine, either, so it was probably just his charm. Or maybe it wasn't. The only way I could really find out was if I got to know him; if I crawled inside that twisted little brain of his, maybe I could find the answers to the questions that I couldn't ask.

"Are we in the same class?" The inquiry made him quirk his brow, and he nodded.

"I sit right behind you."…oh. The advanced class really varied in ages. Itachi and I were actually the youngest; there were quite a few that were Shisui and Kabuto's age, and many that were a few years older than that. And I, including Kabuto, apparently, were the only two not affiliated with a clan. I was surprised I hadn't noticed him, especially since he had been seated behind me the entire time. I can be pretty aloof sometimes.

"Ah, right." Silence fell between us, and I bit at my lip in place of forming words. Kabuto wasn't the type that had maintained many relationships in his life, I knew. That loneliness in his eyes, despite my reservations on how harmless he was in his intentions, seemed genuine. I couldn't say that he didn't deserve being Orochimaru's personal marionette, because I knew nothing about him aside from who he had become in the canon timeline twelve years down the road. Maybe he had the potential to be a decent fucking human this time around. There really was only one way to find out.

"…I really just wanted to say thank you, for when you stood up for me a few months back. No one… no one has really done that before." He knocked his foot against the dirt, the cloud of dust it created narrowly missing my eyes.

"How'd you recognize me? The haircut was pretty drastic." His lips pulled into a small smile, one that I almost didn't notice from the absence of light. It was nearing five o'clock, now. I was due at Minato and Kushina's two hours ago, and was surprised they hadn't tracked me down yet.

"Those Uchiha that follow you around like lost puppies were a dead giveaway. It's kind of hard to forget." I giggled, and tucked one of the longer strands of hair behind my ear. Just like our previous and first conversation, it was interrupted by a duo of interlopers. Only this time, it was an angry Uzumaki and her just as angry, but not nearly as vocal Namikaze boy toy.

"Hanami, what the _hell_?!" Kushina came stomping into the school ground, Minato trailing closely behind her. I grimaced and stood, collecting my backpack and tossing it over my shoulder afterwards. She finally made her way over to us, and didn't waste a second before pulling me under her arm and grinding her fist into the top of my head. "We waited up for you for two hours! We thought you were at Shisui's, but Kyo didn't even know where you were, you brat!" She ended her assault and placed her hands on her hips, demanding an answer as I attempted to rub some feeling back into my cranium. _Sheesh_.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just lost track of the time!" She didn't look pacified, if the twitching of her brow was any indication. She hooked her fingers around my ear and pulled, seeming to gain satisfaction by my growing embarrassment. Minato looked very much like he wanted to laugh at my predicament, but held it in as he didn't want to end up in the same situation I was in currently. Thankfully, she was distracted once she finally took notice to Kabuto, who had been watching the exchange with upturned brows.

"Hanami, whose this?" She asked, after letting go of my swollen ear lobe. She had the fucking grip of death.

"That's my new friend, Kabuto." At the sequence of the words 'new', and 'friend', her eyes came alive in a motherly sort of glee that she had begun displaying more and more as of late. It was probably the hormones.

"A new friend? That's wonderful, Hanami!" Kabuto's cheeks became stained with a light pink color, and he scratched behind his head. "How about we have him over for dinner? Does that sound alright, Kabuto-kun?" He moved his eyes between me and Kushina, and I shrugged my shoulders with an encouraging smile. Kushina could be pretty intimidating.

"Are you sure?" His voice was small and scratchy, his blush deepening as he cleared his throat into his fist. Minato stepped forward, one hand landing on Kushina's shoulder and the other on mine.

"It's ok, Kabuto-kun. We'd love to have you." He looked completely dumbstruck, and remained silent for several seconds before I grabbed ahold of his forearm and leaned my lips in close to his ear.

"Even if you say no, Kushina will insist. She's pretty relentless." He looked us over a final time before his shoulders slacked in defeat.

"That sounds lovely, Kushina-sama. Thank you for inviting me." His infamous charm turned on like a switch, an easy smile coming alive on his features. I watched him closely as we walked together, keeping him in a conversation all throughout dinner and as we walked him back to the orphanage. Kabuto had a way about him that made you want to trust him absolutely, which only increased my suspicions. I watched the orphanage doors close behind him, calculating each and every move that he made.

Becoming friends with Itachi and Shisui had been different. They didn't have the potential to become conniving lapdogs; their fates were just far more tragic. Telling myself that Kabuto, at least at one point in his life, had to have been innocent, was nearly as difficult as reminding myself that Shisui and Itachi still had years ahead of them until their original purpose came to the forefront. I wasn't sure if I really should be venturing into a friendship with him, for several reasons. But I wanted to know what Orochimaru had up his sleeve, and if he still had Kabuto on a short leash, he was one way for me to find out.

•

 **Ok, so before I say anything about the chapter, I just want to say New Perspective has its first official fan art and it's GLORIOUS. I cannot get over how much I absolutely adore it, honestly. It was drawn by AllyGarcia, and I just can't express in words how much I love it. Here's the link, if anyone is interested: . /96f5d42be9be080c356f68e70ab703c9/tumblr_nqmai33Pll1s5diiso1_**

 **Also, it's the new cover image, as well.**

 **I was editing earlier chapters last night, and honestly, I'm pretty embarrassed by the spelling and grammar mistakes I managed to make in earlier chapters. Like FUCK. I promised myself I wasn't going to be that one girl that uploaded a story absolutely littered with errors, but I totally am. Thanks for reading, even though I fail at the English language sometimes. You the real MVPs. Also, I just noticed New Perspective was added to a community for reincarnation fics and things of the like, mainly for the worst of the worst. *sad violin plays in the distance*.**

 **I, Emanda, AKA stoicpoppies, solemnly swear to proofread several times before uploading, as somehow I always manage to read over 127374764678484 spelling mistakes in each chapter.**

 **Fun Fact: Michio was the name of one of Hanami's genin teammates from the original draft.**


	23. Chapter Twenty-one:

•

 **Chapter Twenty-one: Wherein Rin has a nightmare, someone is suspicious, and night falls.**

•

 **"…I wasn't sure if I really should be venturing into a friendship with him, for several reasons. But I wanted to know what Orochimaru had up his sleeve, and if he still had Kabuto on a short leash, he was one way for me to find out."**

 **Rin**

I hadn't had a nightmare for a long time. Probably since Hanami-chan was three; the last one I remember was when I was on an away mission to the Land of Waves. It was the kind of nightmare that causes you to wake up violently and covered in sweat, but thankfully, my mind had blocked out any memories of what had made me to throw myself out of my sleeping bag in a panic, causing everyone to wake up right along with me. But this… this one, without even having to recall the last, was _so_ much worse.

It was the hospital all over again. Hanami, strung up midair in Orochimaru's grip, then me lunging for him, kunai in hand, and not a moment later Hanami was on the floor and bleeding. Only this time, I couldn't save her. It was too late. My body sprang forward on our futon, my hands instantly reaching out for Hanami, whose side of the bed was cold and vacant.

" _Hanami_! Hanami, where are you?" I got to my feet and pulled on my robe, nearly falling as I stumbled into the hallway. I collided with the door frame of our spare bedroom, letting out a sigh of relief at the sight of Hanami seated on the tatami mat in the middle of the room, her eyes closed as her chest rose and fell with each stable breath. She opened one eye, the darkness surrounding them that I had become so used to seeing now nowhere to be found.

"Hey, Sis. What's the matter?" I placed my hand over my heart, its beating slowly shifting from erratic back to a normal pace. I pushed the hair on both sides of my cheeks away and behind my ears with shaky hands, letting myself smile even if it felt out of place at the moment. _She was fine. She was fine. She was fine…_

"I had a bad dream, is all. Are you hungry? There's some stir fry from last night that Obito left." Obito's cooking sounded pretty great right now. Or really, just Obito in general, because I found myself needing a bear hug more than anything.

"Nah, I'm fine. I had some earlier." her eyes traveled up and down my disheveled appearance, and after a second, opened her arms wide for me to fall into. Without letting a moment pass, I dropped to my knees in front of her and scooped her small, warm body into my arms. "I'm here, Rin. It's alright. Everything is alright." It felt kind of abnormal, having to be comforted by my little sister, when _I_ should be the one that did the comforting. By really, what was 'normal', anyway?

"I know, I know…" I pulled away from her and stood, inhaling a long, steadied breath. "You should start getting ready, Hanami-chan. It's nearly seven." She groaned, as what seemed to be obligatory for any time she didn't feel like doing something, but stood and dressed, anyway. Itachi and Shisui appeared at the front door like they had every morning since school had begun, and after I had kissed all three of them on their cheeks, watched them retreat down the road with a smile on my face. As long as she had them, I knew she'd be fine.

I walked down the vacant, early morning streets of Konoha, pulling my cardigan tighter around my shoulders as a chilled gust of wind ruffled my skirt. I quickened my pace, and made it to the hospital doors in record time. It was mostly quiet, save for the hushed conversation at the receptionist's desk. Ayako, by whatever stroke of luck, had been on vacation during Orochimaru's attack, but still decided to resign due to the sudden question of her safety. I didn't blame her, but her replacement, Hitomi, had to be the most annoying woman I had ever met. I bypassed her and the medic she was chatting to as inconspicuously as I possibly could, and ducked into the staff room. I didn't have any shifts today, and only showed really because I didn't know what else I could be doing. Kurenai was away on a mission, it was always awkward for me to socialize with my male friends without her or Obito around, Kushina was still asleep, and Hanami was in school. I _really_ need to expand my social horizons.

"Rin, you aren't scheduled to be in today." It was Ami, an older woman who had come off duty after the attack. I had stopped in one of my patient's rooms, who I realized after a quick check up wasn't making much progress. The rest I had inspected were fine, and truthfully, I wasn't really needed at the moment. But anything could happen during a war. Even if things had been in our lap for a while, that didn't mean we couldn't suddenly suffer a loss that would be left in the hospital's hands to deal with. Or, maybe I was just making up excuses.

"Oh, good morning, Ami-san." I ducked my head in an informal bow, and remained seated in the swivel chair that seemed to come with every room in the hospital. If I had still been alone, I would have resumed spinning myself around on it. But I wasn't, so my immature way of passing the time was put to a halt. "I know, but-"

"No buts. You've been here every single day for the last two and a half weeks. Don't you have a life, girl?" yes. Sort of. Depends on who you're asking. My cheeks became inflamed with a bright red, and I tucked my head between my shoulders. Obito would still be asleep, too. Kakashi… _well_ , I wasn't sure how well Kakashi might react if I suddenly appeared at his doorstep unannounced, requesting his companionship. Her expression softened as she placed her hand on my shoulder. "Look, why don't you let me take care of things, alright? We'll be fine without you for a day." I chewed on my bottom lip indecisively, but I wasn't given any more time to weigh my options. She practically hauled me out of the hospital, and left me in the middle of the street without a clue as to what I could be filling my time with. Caring for people was kind of all I really knew how to do. I used to garden when my mom had been around, but we didn't currently have the money to. I sighed, and kicked up a small cloud of dust with my shoe.

I treaded aimlessly down the path in front of me, keeping my eyes on my feet as they stepped in front of each other in a rhythmic pattern. I whistled to myself, only pausing once I came upon the Uchiha compound, by accident or on purpose, I didn't know. The two jōnin that manned the front gates nodded at me once as I stepped inside, unsure of where I planned to go. Mikoto was more than likely still sound asleep; she really needed to get all the rest she could. The little one would be here soon, and who knows how much shut eye she'll be able to get her hands on with a newborn in the house. Obito was either asleep, too, or up training. His apartment was in the way back of the compound, but my feet still led me there quickly. I knocked once, then another time, before the door was finally answered. Obito stood there in his pajamas, one uncoordinated hand reaching up to rub any remaining sleep from his right eye.

"What the hell do you… _o_ - _oh_ , Rin-chan! Hey!" he straightened up immediately, and tried to come off as nonchalant as he leaned against the door frame. I searched my vocabulary for an appropriate response, but came up short. "Is, um… is something wrong, Rin-chan?…Hey, are you listening?" My lips parted as my mind wandered back to the nightmare from earlier that morning, the memory of the cold sweat that had blanketed my skin making the hairs on my neck stand on end.

"I… can I come inside?" it was unlike me, but I didn't wait for an answer before I stepped past him and into the warmth of his small apartment. I ran my hands through my hair, trying to shake myself free from the visual of my sister, lying discarded and bleeding on the cold, linoleum floors of the hospital room. I knew Hanami had been having reoccurring dreams about it, too, but she kept to herself most days. She had a coping mechanism that I _desperately_ wished I could acquire. "I…I'm sorry for barging in, Obito."

"It's alright, Rin. Can you tell me what's wrong?" Obito's hands went to my shoulders, his thumbs rubbing a circular pattern into my stiff muscles. I released a shaky breath, and shut my eyes. My body moved forward and into his arms, inhaling his scent as he secured his grip around me. Obito, ever since we were kids, had always given the best hugs.

"…some stuff." he deadpanned, causing me to sigh as I lowered myself down onto his beaten up couch. "It's about… it's about what happened at the hospital." his ears immediately perked as he took a seat to my right, his hands twitching as he wrapped them around my smaller ones. I didn't want to keep anything from Obito, but I also didn't want to divulge any information that I was allowed to. Sharing classified information was punishable by a fine, or worst case scenario, time in prison depending on how top-secret it was. I watched as he ran the pad of his thumb over my knuckles, his fingers still fidgeting like he was afraid I might break if he squeezed my hands any harder.

"Rin, I already know." my head snapped up, my eyes widening as they searched his expression. "This lady at the weapon's shop told me and Kakashi. Well, Kakashi overheard, but still…" after a moment, I sighed and leaned my head against his shoulder. I knew they would've found it out eventually if I didn't tell them myself. I was almost angry that I hadn't.

"Are you mad I didn't tell you?" he shook his head, and at that, I felt only slightly relieved. That day, just as much as the day my parents had been taken from me, haunted my thoughts and dreams any time I was lucky enough to get some sleep. I had Obito, I had Kurenai, I had Minato and Kushina and Kakashi, and many more. But _no one_ could replace my sister. Such a careless, completely unnecessary act of violence like this was baffling. What did he gain from hurting her? What could _possibly_ be so gratifying about slitting a five year olds throat? And then everyone else he slaughtered. I kept asking myself how I hadn't noticed something was wrong long before we entered Mebuki's hospital room. I tried not to blame myself, but…

"Rin, please don't cry." I hadn't even noticed that tears had begun to stream down my cheeks until Obito's finger trailed up to my left eye to wipe one away. My hands feverishly rubbed my eye sockets, trying to rid them of any more tears that had the chance of falling. I _hated_ crying, even if it was by myself. I inhaled shakily, the briny water that was clouding my vision now pacified.

"She just… she _really_ could've died, Obito. If he had cut her any deeper, she really could've died. And then… so many people were killed. _How_ didn't I notice anything before?" Being a shinobi, or even a former one, there are a few things that become certain to you the longer you're on duty. One; there's _always_ someone out there stronger, smarter, and faster than you. _Always_. Two; missions are important, but the lives of your friends are, too. And three; you cannot save everyone. You can try, but insistently trying to resuscitate a corpse hurts worse than just accepting that they're dead. In total, two hundred and forty-eight people had died, but the Universe decided that we weren't going to be among them. I was a ninja. Maybe not the best, but that didn't negate the fact that I still was one. How could I not notice something like _hundreds_ of people dying around me? He was a Sannin, so I guess he was capable of pulling off anything. But that didn't lessen the guilt I felt, at all.

"Rin, it's not your fault. He's a fucking _Sannin_. He probably killed them so quickly, you didn't even have the time to notice." he bit at his lip again, and afterwards, cupped my left cheek with his hand. "Even if it was only for a moment, me and Kakashi were there, too, and we didn't notice anything was off. It's not your fault, Rin." I took another deep breath, only this one felt a lot more secure than the last. We sat in silence, the absence of conversation allowing me to contemplate not only the attack, but the events to come. Hanami hadn't mentioned much of Orochimaru when she had sat us down to explain the "plot", other than, and I quote, "he has a _massive_ fucking boner for Uchiha, and it's hella gross." But so many things were different now; for starters, Obito wasn't evil and I was alive and well. What else could've been changed by those factors that weren't present before? No matter who I asked, I knew those questions wouldn't be receiving any answers.

I would really like to believe that we weren't doomed.

•

 **Hanami**

Integrating Kabuto into our secluded cluster was surprisingly easy. Shisui, as his wings had long since spread, was ever the social butterfly and took to him quickly. Itachi was the same. They didn't seem to notice anything off about the boy, so I pretended that I didn't, either. As much as it almost hurt to admit, he had begun to grow on me. Much like Itachi and Shisui, Kabuto had an intellect surpassing that of the typical child, and could hold up a conversation ranging from politics to cloud formations rather easily. He had also managed to beat both at shoji, a feat I had been trying to accomplish for well over three years. I was saltier than the fucking ocean I had drowned in.

We were all headed home, specifically to Shisui's. I hadn't yet been over since Kyo had begun dating Whatshername, and was hoping she'd make an appearance. Shisui didn't mention her much, but I knew that any child being exposed to a parent's new partner typically didn't take to them well at first. I was just hoping that for his sake, if he were to become attached at some point, that she'd be sticking around. The only thing that was worse than losing one mom was losing two.

"I've never been to this part of the village before." Kabuto mused, having taken to a stride at my right. The Uchiha compound was fairly out of the way, but from where I used to live, you had to pass it in order to get to the rest of the village. If you lived in any other part of Konoha, that tedious journey was unnecessary.

"You're gonna get some pretty insulting looks, I'm forewarning you. But, you'll get used to it." Since practically becoming attached to both Itachi and Shisui by the hip, some of the younger, more open minded Uchiha had grown to like me- or at least, tolerate me. The older ones were still assholes, but they'd be dying soon, anyway. Gotta stay on the positive side of things.

"Yeah, most Uchiha don't take to outsiders very well." Shisui chirped, linking his arm over Kabuto's shoulder with an amicable smile. For only really knowing the boy a week, he was awfully fond of him. "But don't worry. They don't bite. Well, most of them don't, anyway." Itachi jabbed him in the side, much to the older boy's both chagrin and underlying amusement. "Itachi-chaaan, that hurt!"

"I doubt that." Shisui puffed out his cheeks and poked his tongue through his lips, causing a loud, wet fart noise to be blasted in Itachi's face. He pulled an offended expression and wiped the splattered saliva away from his cheeks, only to then slap Shisui over the head. _Nerds_.

We entered the gates, and as I had expected, any Uchiha that were nearby looked Kabuto over with scrutinizing gazes. A few nodded at him and I, in what could only be described as partial approval. I knew that quite a few members of the clan gossiped about my relationship with the boys, and Fugaku's willingness to allow me into his home as often as he did. Apparently, such relationships outside of the clan were completely unheard of. Not surprisingly, but knowing that didn't make their condescending looks any less unnerving. But I held my head high amongst their intrusive stares, and Kabuto took note and followed suit.

Shisui's house was located in the far east of the compound, and was relatively small compared to the other residencies. I won't say the interior was an absolute cluster fuck, but 'tidy' definitely didn't come to mind. Kyo did his best to keep Shisui clothed, fed, and headed to school on time, and sometimes housework wasn't the top priority. We made it to the front door and stepped inside, me being the last to walk through the threshold.

I noticed immediately a few factors that hadn't ever been present; firstly, the shoes, which were usually always in a disarrayed heap, were lined neatly in a row. Secondly, the scent you were first greeted with vaguely resembled incense, instead of the heavy aroma of Kyo's cologne. Lastly, but not least, everything was in absolute order. No books lining the coffee table, no left out shoji boards or crooked tatami mats, just a complete overhaul of everything I had come to associate with Kyo and Shisui. It felt cold, like all of the life had been sucked out by a black hole.

…and apparently, that black hole was named Inori.

She emerged from the kitchen with an apron covering her front and a nearly lifeless smile on her face. Despite that, her features were almost childlike; wide, doe like eyes as green as if they were being conveyed in a fanfiction, slender shoulders and brass colored hair reaching far past her mid back- she was beautiful, in an almost haunting manner. Shisui's muscles tensed as soon as he laid his eyes on her. I placed my hand on his shoulder, but it didn't lessen the tension creasing his brows. Kyo entered the front of the house from his bedroom in the back, immediately assessing the stiff air that clung to the room.

"Hey, kiddos. Have a good day?" Kyo approached us, stopping a few inches short of his son before pulling him into a tight hug. Kabuto, who I hadn't been paying attention to since we had entered the door, was just as stiff as Shisui. I shifted my eyes between him and Inori, my brows lowering until they were in a heavy slant.

"Yeah, dad, it was fine." Shisui said, blushing after Kyo pressed a kiss to his temple. " _Daaaad_ , I told you not to kiss me in front of my friends!"

"Child, I helped create you. I can kiss you whenever I want." a smile came to my lips, despite the uneasiness that was coursing through my veins. She didn't give me an automatic bad vibe, necessarily. But the way those sad eyes followed ever subtle move I made was quickly making my skin crawl. "Anyway, Hanami, Kabuto, this is my girlfriend, Inori." He took a step back until he was next to her, and presented her with a blush rising to his cheeks. Almost instantly, a light that her grassy orbs had been lacking flickered to life.

"It's nice to meet you two." her voice was soft, and was one that could easily fade into a crowd. "How about you play outside while I make some snacks?" Shisui's eyes were downcast as he grabbed mine and Itachi's hands, pulling us to the veranda outside with Kabuto trailing awkwardly behind us. I glanced at Inori a final time, calling a quick 'Thank you!' over my shoulder. Her lips pulled into another smile, although this one seeming less forced.

Shisui immediately fell into a series of warm ups, his brows still pulled downwards with a sneer on his lips. I sighed. This was going to be a _loooooong_ day.

Instead of sparring together, Shisui busied himself with throwing kunai while Itachi and Kabuto squared off in a round of shoji. I decided on meditating, a leaf situated on the center of my palm with the only thought running through my mind being, _"Be the goddamn leaf."_ I think what I liked most about meditation was the heightened, non-visual awareness of my surroundings. I focused on Shisui's grunts and heavy, labored breathing, and the calmness of the wind as it danced through strands of my hair. A spark, almost as if the veins running into my hand had been struck by lightning, caused me to jump and a shrill squeak to leave my throat. The others looked over to me, startled, as I settled back down and tried to act as if nothing had happened. It didn't work.

"What…was that?" Drawled Kabuto, who had turned around to face me with a single brow raised. Shisui ceased his target practice and faced me with an expression similar to Kabuto, while Itachi had an odd glint in his eyes that I couldn't quite place.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I placed my overturned hands back onto my knees and shut my eyes, effectively avoiding the confused stares of my friends. _God_ , just drop it, please.

"Hanami," It was Itachi, who had risen from his place across from Kabuto and strode over to where I sat. He gently took my hand in his, the one I had placed the leaf onto the palm of, and turned it over. I opened one eye, raising my brows at the smile that was now in place on his features. "Look, Hanami." I eyed him bemusedly as I brought my hand in front of my face, only to realize that the leaf was attached to the center of my palm. I waved my hand up and down, but the vibrantly colored leaf didn't budge.

 _Ho-ly fuck._

 _"NO. WAY."_ I sprang up, my hand still held in midair as I frantically waved it to and fro. I concentrated hard, making sure that I kept a steady flow of my chakra concentrated to my hand. My veins, or I suppose my chakra pathways, burned intensely, but I held onto the flow of chakra despite that. "HOLY FUCKING SHIT. HOLY. FUCKING. _SHIT_." I skipped and jumped up and down, racing around the back yard and between my friends with my hand remaining extended. "DO YOU GUYS SEE THIS SHIT? LOOK. AT THIS. SHIT." my hand wagged frantically in front of Shisui's face, a grin quickly spreading over his cheeks. Kyo came running out of the house, a worried look overtaking his expression.

"What's going on?" He demanded, to which I responded to by rushing toward him, Kyo crouching down to meet me at eye level.

"THE LEAF. IT _STICKS_." once he came to the realization of what I was implying, that famous grin of his split across his face as he picked me up, tossing me in the air with a triumphant shout.

"You did it, Hanami-chan!" Kyo exclaimed, after placing a series of kisses all over my cheeks and tossing me up into the air once again. I was placed back onto the ground, only to be tackled onto my back by Shisui, who then proceeded to hug me to death. This last five minutes were officially the highlight of my life, hands down.

"You finally did it! You finally _friggin'_ did it!" We stood again, and shortly afterwards, Inori appeared in the doorway with a plate of snacks, as promised. Although Shisui's mood was promptly turned down a few notches, his grin still remained as we sat down on the mat that they kept on their veranda for moments like these. Inori leaned against the doorway, her calculating gaze locked onto us as we inhaled the food she had prepared. She was an odd woman, no doubt. Maybe Kyo just had a kink for the weird ones.

"Have you always had problems molding your chakra, Hanami-chan?" The onigri I had been stuffing into my face got caught in my wind pipe at the intrusion of her words. Itachi patted my back in an attempt to launch the bite of food I had accidentally forced down the incorrect hole, and after a moment, my hacking was pacified. Despite the innocence that laced her voice, my stomach, for reasons I decided to blame on her cooking, tied itself into a hard knot.

"Uh, yeah, I have. I was born prematurely, so my chakra system didn't have time to develop and stuff, so…" My sentence trailed off as my eyes wandered back over to Shisui, whose expression was a concoction of loathing and social awkwardness as he shoveled another onigri into his awaiting mouth. He had always had stress eating tendencies.

"Ah… I see." Her vacant eyes shifted around us, but lingered especially long on Shisui, a strange fondness in the pupil-less orbs that I knew was not returned by the young boy. I looked over to Kabuto, who appeared to have pushed any bad mojo he may've been experiencing aside as he ate his serving of onigri with a pleasant smile on his face. Funny how adorable he was now, knowing how much of an evil shithead he might turn out to be in the future.

"This is delicious, Inori-san." Kabuto chirped, his praise making another smile form on her lips. Apparently, the only thing that made her happy in life was compliments on her cooking. That, and Kyo Uchiha's dick, probably.

"Thank you, Kabuto-kun." I nearly snorted at the honorific. During the time I had been socializing with him, I had taken to referring to him as "Kabuto-kun", mainly because it was an inside joke without him knowing it, and also, the Uchiha seemed to be irked by it. Mainly Itachi, for reasons I couldn't quite figure out. Maybe he was just salty that I always called him Itachi-chan and never Itachi-kun. Dunno. Shisui had concurred that I possibly had a crush on the boy, to which I nearly fell out of my chair from laughter. I'm a lot of things, but a pedo isn't one of them. End of.

We stayed there until late in the afternoon, Kabuto and I leaving the compound together after the sun had started to set. I found myself looking over my shoulder constantly, lingering on Shisui's almost heartbroken expression as we retreated down the dirt path. He kind of had abandonment issues, I had noticed.

"There's something off about that woman." Kabuto had made sure we were through the compound gates and a few buildings down before he spoke. Besides her haunting gaze and habit of staring at people, she seemed relatively normal. Maybe a tad depressed, but hey, I could relate. Not so much nowadays, but I knew the feeling.

"You think?" we came to a halt at a wooden bench not far from the orphanage. I didn't see how he could stand living there. The nuns smelled like mothballs, the kids were positively shitty, and the food was awful. There was a pang in my chest at the realization that he didn't really have a choice in the matter, however, and an immediate wave of guilt that nearly swallowed me whole afterwards.

"Her eyes look… _dead_. You can't tell me you didn't notice it." I chewed on my bottom lip, having sat down on the bench and propped my legs up onto Kabuto's lap. The boy was justifiably unsure of how to reciprocate physical contact, but being friends with me and Shisui, you kind of had to just get used to it. He was getting there. Now, if only we could work on that whole "Orochimaru's Bitch" thing that may or may not still be a factor. _Then_ he'll be on the road to actually being a person.

"No, I did. What, you want to tell Kyo to dump her?" even if we _did_ , I doubt he'd listen. He was the type to get so drunk on love that sobering up would probably be just as hard as weaning an alcoholic off of booze.

" _Yes_. No. I… I don't know. She's just extremely unsettling, is all. And, Shisui hates her. That's pretty obvious." Thinking about it now, I wondered if Shisui just had problems interacting with females. Maybe he didn't exactly remember his mother, but her death could have done deeper harm to his subconscious that he wasn't even aware of. That made sense, taking into consideration how he treated me when we first met, and now Inori. He was also fiercely protective of anyone he held dear; Itachi, for example. I had been a factor completely unknown to him up until I was shoved into his life rather unceremoniously, and as a defense, immediately set up walls around himself, and on a smaller scale, Itachi. I hummed thoughtfully. Knowing Kyo, and knowing how he prized his son more than anything in his life, if Shisui continued to hate Inori, Kyo would back off on his own terms. That much I was certain.

"If Shisui keeps hating her, then Kyo will back off on his own. Trust me on this." He didn't look entirely convinced, but didn't argue any further. He left shortly thereafter, leaving me alone on the bench with only my thoughts as company.

•

Our neighborhood was pleasantly calm during the night. Before, you could expect anything from mating cats, mating _humans_ , blaring radios and the not so occasional back ally shanking. Nowadays, the only sounds that filled the pitch black void outside my window were the crickets that kept me awake some nights by their constant noise. But, I didn't mind it. It was calming, almost.

Rin slept soundly at my right, her warm body curled into a loose ball with her arm wrapped instinctively around my torso. Being a heavy sleeper, it was easy for me to unwind myself from her grasp and meander my way out from underneath the blankets. Another bonus on the never ending list of upsides that came with our apartment was that we were on the bottom floor and as such had a small veranda leading to a quaint backyard. If we had the money to, I would suggest to Rin that we start a garden. It was something she used to do with our mother all those years ago.

Both Rin and Obito were pleasantly surprised and absolutely elated when I came home, bearing the news I had finally been able to bond a leaf to my hand. I would show Kakashi the following morning during training, and hopefully receive some kind of reaction. I settled into a crossed legged position, the smile on my lips refusing to leave even as I began to meditate. I hadn't been this content since I had been around seven the first time around.

My brow furrowed at a subtle disturbance in the air around me, the grass by my foot shifting slightly as if a small creature was stepping through it. My left eye lid slowly peeled open, widening at the sight of a small white rabbit; it's beady, red eyes staring directly into mine. I reached for it, but before my fingers could trace over its stark exterior, it darted away from my grasp. My eyes remained on the now blank space it had inhabited only a moment before, unable to shake the feeling of being watched even after I reentered my apartment.

It was probably nothing, anyway.

•

 **I spent my entire afternoon yesterday reading Thomas the Train fanfiction, as I hadn't even known it existed; I deeply regret this discovery. Who knew trains had penises? I sure didn't.**

 **Anyway, in exactly twenty days, I'll be starting my junior year of high school. I'm saying this to let you guys know that update will probably be slowing down some, because I really,** _ **REALLLLLY**_ **need to make school my top priority. My grades have been pretty damn laughable these last two years, and this year, that needs to change.**

 **Fun Fact: I don't really consider Hanami a self-insert. We share a few similar traits, but as a whole, we're two very different people.**


	24. Chapter Twenty-two:

***VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE BOTTOM; PLEASE READ***

•

 **Chapter Twenty-two: Wherein Obito asks the important questions, Jiraiya shares some news, and the irony is never ending.**

•

 **"…But so many things were different now; for starters, Obito wasn't evil and I was alive and well. What else could've been changed by those factors that weren't present before?"**

 **Hanami**

Using chakra burned like fuck, no two ways about it. Any time I was able to channel it to my hands or feet, it felt similarly to if I had decided to catch them on fire, like acid running through my veins, or maybe if a million fire ants had decided to colonize in my chakra pathways. I still did it because I think we've already established I have sadomasochistic tendencies, and I'm also a tad stubborn. I was going to figure out a way to use chakra without it causing crippling pain if it was the last thing I did. Hopefully it wouldn't be, but you get my point.

A few days had passed, and the scorching heat that the middle days of May always promised was rearing its vindictive head. The schoolwork began to pile up much like it had once I had hit my sophomore year of high school, only this time, my methods of releasing pent up stress and trig induced aggravation veered away from alcohol and breaking things; now, I took to meditation and rounds of taijutsu with my impassive sensei. I'd say it was a pretty good improvement.

I was seated at Obito's dining room table, a pencil dangling from my lips as I proofread my completed essay. I had chosen the topic of infiltration and the importance of team communication, and not once before had I bullshitted an assignment to such a high degree. Kazuki-sensei would lap this shit up, however, regardless of how forced the words may be. I suppressed a giggle as Obito sat down adjacent from me, placing a glass of orange juice next to my text book in the process.

"You truly have found the key to my heart, Obito-nii." We clanked our glasses together in cheers, his grin exposing a row of nearly straight pearly whites, the only disturbance being two slightly misplaced teeth near the center of his bottom lip.

"I try, I try. You almost finished up there, kiddo?" I fought off a grimace at the nickname he had taken to calling me, and settled for wagging my head instead of a snide remark. I stuffed the paper into my folder and set it aside, and noted the contemplative look crossing Obito's expression.

"Is something wrong?" He exhaled a long, drawn out breath, and reclined back in the old wooden chair. He and I hadn't discussed the whole "plot" thing since that night nearly three months ago. Without having to ask, I knew he still didn't entirely buy into it. And hey, I couldn't blame him. If I were in his shoes, I probably would've laughed and called the person that had basically just dismantled my pre-conceived notion of reality a lunatic and went on with my life as normal. But in our current situation, nothing was exactly "normal" anymore. Abnormal was our new reality, and we needed to come to terms with it. Or, they, more so him, needed to. I had begun that process a long time ago, and I'd like to think I've come pretty far.

"Well, yeah. It's about… _y'know_." he motioned to the air with his hands, as if that alone could convey the words that he was lacking the capability to form at the moment. I nibbled on my pencil's eraser, my eyes flickering over his face. He truly was at a loss.

"The whole 'reincarnation' thing?" he nodded, and I sighed. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well… Kushina and Minato's baby is going to be here soon, you know. Something really, _really_ bad is supposed to happen, right?" My heart made its ascent to the bottom of my stomach at his words. Obito hadn't come anywhere near Madara, that was true, and fucking fantastic. But he was an old, crafty bastard. Even without Obito as a puppet, I didn't know if he had a backup plan. All possibilities had to be explored, as dreadful as it was.

"Yeah, but you were the one that orchestrated the whole thing." pain glossed over his obsidian orbs, so I reached my hand over and cupped it around his. "Madara _really_ fucked with your head, Obito. And after seeing Rin die, you seriously went off the deep end. But that didn't happen this time." he looked pensive, but slacked in defeat. I sighed again, and sunk even further into my chair. "Honestly, I have no idea what we should do, or if we need to do anything at all." I slid my hand over the center of my face, and after a moment, turned to the hormone ridden teenager to my right. "Hey, Obito?" his eyes turned from staring down at his clasped hands over to mine, his brows raised as if silently asking me to continue. "Do you think I'm crazy?"

" _What_? No, I just…" His hands went to his hair, his jagged nails raking over his scalp as he fumbled over an answer. "It's just… how would you _really_ feel, knowing that basically everything you had ever lived was a lie? That somehow, somewhere, people can just sit back and watch as you royally fuck over everyone that ever meant anything to you? I just… I believe you, because I know you wouldn't just make all this up for attention or something. And it makes sense, in a way. At least there's a reason why you've always been so… you, y'know?" my fingers laced with his again, and he sighed. "Sorry for the rant, but…"

"I get it, Obito. I understand." The room grew quiet, save for our breathing. This wasn't something that could be resolved in a night, or even two. I couldn't help but picture them in my mind; a family photo, one where Naruto's grin was bright enough to light up the world, with his proud, wonderfully alive parents standing behind him, as if they were displaying him like a trophy of their biggest accomplishments. Naruto was a wonderful person. A tad thick at times, but still an exuberant light in this world that deserved a loving family. Minato and Kushina deserved to live their lives comfortably with their son, and to live far past those twenty-four odd years that they had been given before the metaphorical rug was ripped out from under their feet. But saying this and doing something about it were two _very_ different things, as I'm sure I've said a thousand times before.

I had told myself a long time ago that I wasn't this world's savior. I was just a single person, too weak to even defend myself, let alone the lives of others. Obito and Rin also didn't deserve to have the weight of the world thrown onto their unsuspecting shoulders, but it was kind of a "guilty by association" scenario. Obito was still on the right side of the moral spectrum. Theoretically, nothing should happen. October tenth should go by with only the scream from Naruto's lungs as he entered this world. Maybe I was just paranoid, I couldn't say. To distract myself, I moved onto the next assignment on my agenda, but my mind could hardly concentrate on the words in front of me.

I had in a way caught a break with Rin. She by whatever grace of luck knew that something was going to happen, and was proactive in preventing Obito's "death" during the Kannabi Bridge mission. She took herself off the mission roster in an attempt to avoid her death, and so far, had succeeded. Really, I hadn't done much leading up to this point. Partially because I didn't know what I could do, and because I didn't know how my actions would affect my life afterwards. It was cowardly, but I've also never said I was particularly brave, anyhow.

This time around, I wasn't sure if I would be so lucky. As far as her nightmares went, Rin said she only saw what led up to the Kannabi bridge mission and her untimely demise, and if she had in light of recent events seen something else, she would've told me. Now that I was thinking about it, Rin only saw what I had subconsciously shown her. She witnessed a play-by-play of those events only because that was how I had remembered them. I couldn't rely on my sister as being some kind of "oracle" or fortune teller. There was no way for any of us, especially me, to know what would happen on October tenth, if anything at all. I think the lack of knowing was worse than the knowing part. Unfortunately, this was one instance where I would simply have to do the best I could, and bring a big enough umbrella to shield myself and those I loved from the impending shit storm- _if_ there was to be one at all.

But, I wasn't alone in this. As a team, we could figure this out. Hopefully.

"We should probably get going, Hanami. Dinners' in fifteen." I was stirred from my internal monologue by Obito, who had stood from his chair and walked to the front door, pulling on his shoes while he waited for me to join him. Without a reason to argue, I collected my schoolwork, and walked with Obito's hand around mine as we headed for my not-parents dwelling. Jiraiya was supposed to be there, and for whatever reason, I felt like his presence couldn't bring anything good.

"There you two are!" Kushina exclaimed once we entered the door, having knocked twice, but not waiting for an answer before we stepped inside. She manned the stove, my sister to her right as she collected bowls from the cabinets. I was helped into my designate chair by Obito, who took a seat next to Rin once she had sat down. Soon, we were joined by Kakashi, Minato and Jiraiya, who had been in the other room discussing whatever boys do when they're alone before joining us for dinner. I won't say Jiraiya seemed grim, or troubled; tired, more than anything.

"Minato, would you come to the other room with me for a moment?" The older man asked- or really, commanded. His student eyed him quizzically, but after kissing his wife on the cheek, followed his sensei into the sitting room. I watched them retreat with a frown, my appetite suddenly vacant. Maybe I was reading too much into things; I had always had a habit of doing that. Or maybe I wasn't. Ninja-land was never ending with possibilities.

•

 **Minato**

I could always tell when sensei meant business. Firstly, his brows would draw downwards into a gravely slant, his usual genial expression replaced by an almost ominous mask of formality. Secondly, he would pop open a bottle of sake and down half of it within a matter of minutes. He was currently on the second half of the process, and I found myself fidgeting in anticipation of what Jiraiya had to tell me that was so important it warranted him dragging me away from dinner. My family, or what had become so in the last four years, remained seated in the dining room with a privacy seal in place so they couldn't hear the conversation in the room over. I sighed and reclined further back into the couch. This couldn't be good, whatever it was.

"What's this about, sensei?" My question was met with Jiraiya guzzling down another gulp of the burning liquid, then slamming the nearly emptied bottle onto the low table in front of us.

"Nothing good." Wow, that really answered my question. The aging man ran his hand along the length of his face, the once barely noticeable wrinkles adorning his under eyes now appearing like miniature canyons. "I'm just going to cut the bullshit; last week, someone invaded Kirigakure and retrieved the Sanbi. I haven't gotten a 'why' or 'who' from intell, but an investigation is currently underway." if I wasn't the composed ninja type, I probably would've groaned, gasped, or banged my head against the table. This was bad, for several reasons. Firstly, they could try to pin this on any one of the other hidden villages, thus causing more conflict and prolonging a war that had basically reached its end. Also to consider; if someone was going after tailed beasts, my wife was currently housing one. Even if I had done my best to keep her pregnancy a secret, I could never be sure that that information hadn't fallen into the wrong hands. Her seal would be greatly weakened during childbirth, making it the opportune moment to try and extract the demon. My heart constricted painfully, but didn't allow it to show. "I know that you've done everything you could to keep her pregnancy under wraps, but there's always the possibility that word got out. I think it would be wise to take extra precautions concerning her due date."

It wasn't a bad idea; in this life, you could _never_ be too careful. The Sandaime and the council had already made plans to secure the village while Kushina was giving birth, but in the wake of this serious migraine, even more preemptive measures needed to be taken, no matter how 'unnecessary' Danzō or someone equally as stomach churning may deem it. Fortunately for the situation at hand, it wouldn't be long now that I took office, I was fairly sure. And as soon as I donned the title of Hokage, those wrinkly, stingy bastards Hiruzen liked to call a 'council' were getting the boot. I placed my chin atop laced fingers, a plan of action stringing together in my mind as Jiraiya opened another bottle of sake. If he kept this up, he'd be able to drink Tsunade under the table.

"You should remain in the village until that day, Jiraiya-sensei." My thinly veiled plea was noted by the man, who offered me the bottle of sake, to which I declined. I could hardly hold my liquor, and was probably the sloppiest drunk in the Land of Fire.

"I planned on it." his eyes traveled over my face, and after a moment, reached his hand forward and ruffled my unruly mop of hair. "Don't worry, Minato. It'll be alright." And I partially believed him- if not only for the fact that nothing would come in the way of me and protecting my wife and child. But this could always lead to more trouble beyond that. The war was basically over and completely in Konoha's favor. It wouldn't be much longer now that a peace treaty would be signed- or _should_ be, but may not in light of this recent development. My eyes drifted over to the bottle of sake that Jiraiya was currently nursing before snatching it from his fingers, subsequently downing the rest of the bottle.

This was _sure_ going to be interesting.

We rejoined dinner after I had guzzled down the remainder of Jiraiya's liquor, almost too light headed to notice the worried looks Hanami was sending me from across the table.

•

 **Hanami**

Training with a nearly fourteen year old Kakashi was pretty much exactly as I had expected. I'd leave for training ground seven after school, and not be home until as late as eight in the evening, five days out of the week. Kushina had taken to bringing us dinner if we were too busy to join them, the meals going by with a comfortable, shared silence. I'd like to say that I was growing on him.

I ran through a series of cool-downs while Kakashi read from a book of the non-smut variety, the combination of the blistering heat and physical exertion causing every inch of my skin to perspire. I wiped a bead of sweat from my brow that had been threatening to fall into my left eye, the gauze I had wrapped around my hand and forearm almost abrasive against my skin. At first, I hadn't realized the purpose behind binding my hands; but it secured the tendons in your hands, causing less damage with each punch. A complete necessity for any taijutsu specialist.

"Hanami." I looked over my shoulder at Kakashi, who had taken a step towards me as his hand retrieved something from his pocket. It was a slim piece of paper, and one that I instantly recognized. I was wondering when this would come up. "Do you know what this is?"

"Yes, actually." I took the slip of paper in my hand and held it between my pointer and middle finger. Truthfully, the more time I spent on taijutsu, the more and more I had grown to love it. I wasn't sure I really wanted to veer into ninjutsu at the moment. _Hm_. What a startling development.

"I know you've been focused on taijutsu, but you really need to work on ninjutsu. It's imperative that you start now, should you want to graduate any time soon. And we might as well figure out what your affinity is while we're at it." I didn't plan on graduating at all, but decided on not correcting him. With a deep breath, I concentrated on my chakra, the burning sensation surging through every cell as it reached my hand. After a moment, the paper began to soften, the now damp exterior nearly tearing in my grasp.

 _Jesus fucking Christ._

"Oh, my _god_." _Water_. I have a nature affinity with _water_. I felt like the gods that had handed me this fate in the first place were laughing their celestial asses off right about now.

"Is something wrong?" Kakashi's visible brow was raised, a questioning glint in his remaining eye as I tried desperately to contain myself. _Top fucking kek_.

"No, no, I'm fine. Do you even know any water release techniques?" My guess was no, considering he lacked the Sharingan he had at one point gained from Obito, but in a separate storyline. My suspicions were proven correct when he shook his head, an agitated grunt following not long after.

"No, but I'm sure I'll be able to rent some scrolls from the library." his eye drifted over to the setting sun, the sky cascaded with reds, muted oranges and vibrant yellows. He ran a hand through his hair, and afterwards, dropped his hand to the top of my head to ruffle my short, brunette locks. "Rin will throw a fit if I keep you out any later tonight. Go home, get some rest." the softness in his eye promptly disappeared not a moment later, however. "But be on time tomorrow, got it? I won't wait up for you." I had been reminded this every day since he had begun training me, and each day, I was never tardy. I think sometimes he just liked to hear himself talk. Before I could respond, I felt an intimidatingly large signature of chakra near the entrance of the training grounds, something I had only begun to notice over the last few days. Chakra really _was_ everywhere.

"Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi greeted, his voice even despite the irritated glint crossing his eye that I nearly didn't catch. The imposing man approached us with a smirk, although it didn't seem to grace his features with the ease it should've. He had been staying in the village since the attack to my knowledge, however I hadn't seen him except _that_ night and yesterday when he had joined us for dinner. We hadn't been eating for five minutes before he pulled Minato aside, the two reentering the room noticeably less sober than before. I knew he hadn't removed himself and Minato from the room with that kind of urgency only to get smashed, so his motives were worrisome. But I knew I probably wouldn't be receiving any answers even if I asked. Ninja were the secretive type. It's kind of in the job description.

"Kakashi, Minato needs to speak with you." ninja _also_ weren't the type to beat around the bush. Kakashi looked back to me, an uneasiness about him that made me raise my brows. Jiraiya's hand fell to the top of the younger boy's head, ruffling the silver locks with a lopsided grin. "I'll walk her home, don't worry." he relented after a moment, but not before shooting a look at us from over his shoulder before disappearing from sight. An awkward air fell over us as I peered up at the infamous Pervy Sage, entirely at a loss for what to even say to him. I scuffed my foot along the dirt, biting at my bottom lip as a replacement for the words I couldn't speak.

"We should get going." I nodded once, and followed after him once I had retrieved my belongings. The late evening streets of Konoha were fairly vacant, and we walked together wordlessly. The fading sunlight shone down on us, the ebullient glow glistening off the remaining puddles of water that last night's downpour had provided. Summer rains were a reoccurring theme here in Satan's Armpit, otherwise known as Konohagakure.

"How have you been, Hanami?" his tone of voice and the subject of his question nearly made me pause. Mostly fine, actually. I hadn't had a nightmare for a few days, school was fine, training was even better, and now it looked as if I might even be able to mold chakra. The only hindrance currently on my happiness was the prospect of my artificial parents dying horribly, which I'd like to think is a justifiable thing to worry about.

"Pretty good. What about you, Jiraiya-sama?" the sage had an unreadable look masking his expression, but I didn't expect much else from a Sannin.

"Fine, actually. My first book is to be published next month." Huh. I had nearly forgotten about that.

"Can I have a signed copy when it's out?" Obviously, I'd be a fool to pass up the opportunity of having a signed copy of Jiraiya's first novel. But from what I could remember, it was kind of a flop. I wouldn't tell him that, however. I wasn't a fan of crushing dreams.

"Sure thing, Hanami-chan." his features took on less of a hard edge as we neared closer to the center of the village, my apartment not far from the clothing shop as we walked past it. I whistled to myself, really as a distraction so I wouldn't pester him. The war, as far as I knew, was basically over. After the destruction of the Kannabi Bridge, Konoha had basically bent a number of hidden villages over a table and fucked their asses raw. Sure, by now we could _seriously_ use more shinobi, but that would be on its way to a resolution this coming graduation and the ones after. I couldn't figure out what had made the man look so gravely resolved. Maybe Kiri had still tried to seal Isobu inside of an unsuspecting victim, and failed like last time? It was completely probable, and the only thing that left me feeling reassured. That sounded kind of bad, but at least it wasn't my sister that was the one getting brutally murdered… _ok_ , I'm terrible. Moving on.

"This is it. Uh… thanks for walking me home, Jiraiya-sama." I paused by the railing in front of my door, my eyes locking with Jiraiya's despite the rather ridiculous height difference. To think at one point I was nearly as tall as him. I was pretty insulted by the fact I probably wouldn't grow past five foot.

"It's no problem, Hanami." his gaze drifted over the exterior of my apartment, up to the fading skyline as the sun fell farther into the horizon. He shook his head once, saluted me, and had turned his back before I called after him.

"Was it bad, what you needed to talk to Minato about last night?" dread sunk further into my stomach the longer I went without an answer, but he turned to face me with the toothy grin I had grown to associated with him once upon a time.

"Could you keep it a secret?" I wagged my head, leaning in closer to him once he beckoned me forward. "The Third will be stepping down within the week. Minato's the next in line for Hokage. It hasn't been made one hundred percent official, but count it as good as done." I was wondering when that was going to come around, too. With that in mind, could that allude to the war _really_ being near its end? It was May seventeenth, a little less than five months until you-know-who makes a screaming, bloody entrance. The war had been long over by then, and the other villages couldn't _possibly_ have any more fight left in them where things stood now. A grin took over my features as I offered the older sage my pinky finger, who stared at it with a quirked brow before wrapping his own around it.

"Your secrets safe with me." we shared a long look, his eyes holding no traces of the deceit I was searching them for. Maybe I was just being a naive child, trusting Jiraiya's word. But maybe, that really _was_ all he had to talk about with Minato that night; sake was practically obligatory concerning any celebration, anyway. All possibilities had to be explored; and their conversation not holding any malicious themes was one of those possibilities. I waved to him as he retreated down the beaten, muddied path, a feeling of calm washing over me as I entered the front door of mine and Rin's apartment.

Everything was fine. The more times I said it, the more I believed it.

•

 **I uploaded the wrong chapter two days ago and after realizing this, took it down. That's why it says I updated when I actually didn't. Anyway, I made a few changes to previous chapters before uploading this one; firstly, Kabuto's dialogue in chapter fourteen. It wasn't a major change, but goes as follows:**

 **"I…I was just reading here, I'm not a student. It's too loud at the orphanage to concentrate." Not a massive change, but this had to be fixed in order for future chapters to be cohesive.**

 **Also, I had said previously that Shisui had already attended one year of school before the current one, but that he still took the same exam as Hanami and Itachi. I went back and changed it to just being Itachi and Hanami. So, there's that.**

 **Now, the really important part; over the next few weeks, I'm going to be doing some fairly major revisions to the story. Mainly adding more parts told through Rin's perspective, as I really don't believe I led up to her knowing about Hanami's reincarnation as much as I could have. This will probably happen after chapter thirty, as that's where it looks like October Tenth will be around. So, things I plan on adding; the scene where Obito and Kakashi confront the Iwa shinobi from the Kanabi Bridge arc; Minato teaching Obito and Kakashi the Rasengan; changing it from third person to first during Minato's POV in chapter three; a Rin POV in the prologue + chapter two and some more things I'll get to later. I just think it'll make everything more cohesive.**

 **Fun Fact: I also draw, and my user name comes from the fact that for several years, the only expressions I ever drew were super flat, hence the "stoic" part, and the first flower I ever learned how to draw were poppies. So, stoicpoppies. Kind of lame, I know.**


	25. Chapter Twenty-three:

•

 **Chapter Twenty-three: Wherein there's a new Hokage in town (because 'village' just doesn't quite roll off the tongue), Gai makes a grand** _ **re-entrance**_ **, and maybe Inori isn't so bad.**

•

 **"Everything was fine. The more times I said it, the more I believed it."**

 **Hanami**

The war wasn't officially over, necessarily, but forces were withdrawn and no further combat was taking place. The Hokage said we had nothing to worry about, so we didn't. _Mostly_. In the week that followed, the Third announced his resignation, and the instating of Minato Namikaze as the fourth Hokage. While not surprised, I still expressed an enormous amount of excitement like everyone else. The coronation ceremony was scheduled for the Monday after, and would commence once the academy had been dismissed.

… _annnnd_ that's where we were at now. The village was gathered around the Hokage's residence, Minato standing at the front with a row of his most trusted Shinobi behind him, Kushina included. She had busted out her mission attire, her stomach now protruding in a way that couldn't be written off as anything other than the fetal version of Naruto Uzumaki. I stood in a huddle with Minato's former team, Mebuki and Kizashi, Itachi, Shisui, their respective parents, and Kabuto, with Sakura strapped to my chest as Minato was finally crowned with the Hokage title. He peered down at the villagers while they erupted in cheers, except for me, who had to secure my hands around the sides of Sakura's head as not to cause any damage to her lil' eardrums. Ok, _fine_ , I'll say it; this child was precious, and I loved her so much it kind of pained me. Happy now?

"Mark my words, you guys; I _will_ be the next one up there." Obito's proclamation was met with metaphorical sweat drops, to which he sputtered indignantly and put his hands on his hips. "What, you all don't think I'd make a good Hokage?" it wasn't that at all, actually; just the fact that Hell would probably freeze over before they let an Uchiha anywhere near the title. But, maybe that would change this time around.

"I think you'd make an awesome Hokage, Obito!" Shisui exclaimed. Obito pulled the younger boy into a one armed embrace and beamed down at him, Shisui's returned grin nearly cracking his face in half.

"See, why can't you guys believe in me like Shisui-chan? Where's the love at?" we believe in _you_ , Obito, just not the village.

"Well, I'd say it's about damn time that there's an Uchiha running this place! Not one of the batty, power hungry ones, but y'know." Kyo slung his arm around Obito's shoulders and placed his hand in his son's haphazard mop of hair. Fugaku shot his best friend a stern look, one that he only responded to by reaching over and pinching the older man's cheek. "Oh, _come on_ , Fugaku. Don't act like you weren't thinking it." one thing I had come to notice about Fugaku; he was just as fed up with his clan's holy-than-thou antics as everyone else. If he lived long enough and if that dreaded coup d'état is never seen into fruition, maybe he could get around to making some changes to that wide spread mentality that just won't seem to die. I've gotta say, I actually like the guy. He could laugh a bit more, but still.

"How was the ceremony?" the voice was one I quickly placed to Inori, who was approaching our sect of the audience with a calm smile on her face that only sort-of creeped me out. Shisui practically turned to stone as she came towards us, but after both Itachi and I had put a hand on each of his shoulders, he relaxed, but only slightly. He was getting there.

"Fine, fine. Where were you, _hm_?" Kyo pulled the petite woman in by her waist and pressed a kiss to her lips, the exchange receiving varied reactions from onlookers. Kissing out in the open wasn't a societal norm around here, but like with many things, Kyo Uchiha just didn't give a fuck.

"Oh, just taking care of some things, is all." the blush that had spread over her cheeks brought some much needed life into her expression. "I thought I'd make pork cutlets for dinner, since they're Shisui's favorite." if there was one way to his heart, it was definitely through his stomach. Shisui eyed Inori with a guarded expression, and refused to meet her eyes as she peered down at him. I gave the woman a sympathetic look and a shrug. A serious heart to heart between the two was definitely in order; I would know better than anyone.

"Actually, there's going to be a party later on at Minato and Kushina's. We were hoping that you three would be there." Mikoto said, who had taken a step forward and placed her hand on top of Shisui's head. Inori smiled again and tucked a strand of her brass colored hair behind her pierced ear.

"That sounds lovely. How about I make the pork cutlets tomorrow, Shisui-chan?" instead of a verbal response, her question received a halfhearted glare and a barely audible mumble. I sighed; a loud, exasperated sound that caused Shisui to direct his anger at me, his cheeks red and puffed out with a pout on his lips. Kyo stepped forward before anything got ugly, thankfully, and laughed off his son's abrasive attitude as best as he could.

"That's fine, Inori." before I could listen in to the conversation any further, I felt someone tug on my right shirt sleeve. I looked over my shoulder at Kakashi, who jerked his head to the side in a suggestive manner. I quirked a brow as he turned to my sister, who had engrossed herself in a conversation with Mebuki before being interrupted by the Hatake prodigy.

"Hanami and I have to discuss a few things about her training, if that's alright." if possible, my brows practically receded into my hairline. I felt Itachi nudge me with his elbow, and I looked over and shrugged at the bemused look he was wearing. Your guess is as good as mine, buddy.

"Uh, yeah, that's fine." she eyed us both warily, but allowed Kakashi to drag me off once I had handed Sakura back over to her parents. We found ourselves at the entrance to the park, and I took a seat on the nearest bench as I gazed up at Kakashi.

"What is it, Kakashi-sensei?" I thought I caught a grimace from underneath his mask; whether if it was brought on my the subject of my question or 'sensei', I wasn't sure.

"I'll be initiated into the ANBU in one week."… _oh._ I'd be lying to myself if I said I wasn't disappointed. I _liked_ spending time with Kakashi; sure, he was a no-nonsense hard ass, but the time we spent together was something that I valued. My shoulders slouched dejectedly as I leaned back into the park bench.

"Well, whose going to train me, then?" there really weren't many options I felt comfortable going with. I could ask Kyo, but wherever Kyo went, Shisui followed. I wasn't sure why, but training in front of either Itachi or Shisui made me almost self conscious. Obito was also an option, but between spending time with my sister and various missions, his free time was few and far between.

"…And that's where I come in!" a blur of green materialized from the shadows, startling me to the point of jumping up and landing on the ground with a dull thud. Gai was perched on the backing of the wooden bench, his mouth opened into a wide grin that exposed his blindingly white teeth. My chest heaved up and down as I tried to regain my bearings, Kakashi standing at my side as he rubbed circles into his temples.

"Was that _necessary,_ Gai?" Kakashi droned, his brow drawn downwards into a glare. Grand entrances were kind of Gai's thing, if that weren't already blatant. I stood from the ground and dusted off my bottom half with a huff. I just finished these shorts yesterday, and now they're already dirty. Great.

"So, let's recap; you're going to be too busy to train me, so you're handing me over to Gai as a replacement?" he nodded, and I sighed. "Do you have a death wish, Kakashi? If Rin sees me anywhere near this dude, she'll flip." I was fairly certain that Rin had enacted an unofficial restraining order against Gai after the first time he and I were anywhere near each other. Once you were on her shit list, there was no looking back. Kakashi had already put one foot in that door all those years ago at the market, and this decision was seriously setting himself up for an early grave. Hell hath no fury like a big sister scorned.

"I know you're looking to specialize in taijutsu, and he and I are on par with each other in that respect." I turned my nose up at him, but he continued regardless. "I was able to rent a few scrolls containing water release techniques from the library, and I'll help you with those as much as I can over the next week. But I don't want to completely leave you to your own devices once I won't be around to train you myself." that sounded reasonable, except for one factor that could not be ignored.

"And what about my sister?" really, her fear was as irrational as someone fearing a shark attack while living a thousand miles away from an ocean. I guess we might as well add "Gaiphobia" to the dictionary.

"…It's probably wise that we keep this between the three of us." was Kakashi Hatake seriously suggesting that we break the rules? Blasphemy. I teetered back and forth on the balls of my feet, my eyes pointed upwards at the sky as I contemplated Kakashi's sanity. I wouldn't be able to further my skills in taijutsu by myself. Everyone else I knew was busy, or wasn't an option due to my own insecurities. Gai was a taijutsu specialist, the very thing I was working towards becoming. Rin was busy with work a lot of the time; in theory, training with Gai could fly completely over her head. But hey, I was technically an adult, a factor she was well aware of. I could make decisions on my own without her input one hundred percent of the time.

"… ok, I accept." maybe my own sanity is the one I should be concerned with. Gai and his eyebrows were almost too overzealous even for my liking, not to mention his extreme methods of training that had me groaning in pain just thinking about it. My muscles were probably going to hate me more than they already do.

"Fantastic! Despite what my rival has said, I'm sure you'll find that I'm even more capable with taijutsu than he is!" it wasn't a competition, but I didn't tell him otherwise. I sighed, my hand reaching up to rest upon the scar that decorated my clavicle as I suppressed a shiver. I had to become stronger. There simply was no other option.

•

It was rare for me to be alone with Kabuto; usually, one of my Uchiha was also keeping me company. But it was just us two as we manned Kushina and Minato's sitting room table, my deck of Hanafuda in Kabuto's hands as he shuffled them. My eyes flickered over his movements as he began setting up a game of Hana Awase, a favorite of mine, and remained quiet until the game was underway.

"So, Kabuto-kun… what made you want to become a ninja?" a seemingly trivial topic of discussion, but a question I was itching to be answered. I wasn't sure _when_ exactly he had been taken under Danzō's wing or _when_ he had been approached by Orochimaru, but it had to be soon; or maybe he already had been, and Orochimaru was using him as a spy for reasons unbeknownst to me. _God_ , I sound paranoid. But it really couldn't be helped. Not with someone like Kabuto.

"Oh… good question." he pushed his glasses further back onto the bridge of his nose, the calm smile from before having disappeared from his features. "Actually, I hadn't planned on it until the attack at the hospital." my eyes widened, and he shrugged. "That, and we've been so depleted of shinobi over the course of the war. It made me realize that my talents could be a great asset in a shinobi environment." I schooled my expression, despite the utter shock I was still experiencing. This could imply a few things; firstly, Kabuto's decision to become a ninja was completely his own, and not something orchestrated by Danzō. Secondly, he could _have_ really just approached me for no other reason other than a possible friendship. I pursed my lips, and remained silent. "So, what about you? Why did _you_ decide to become a ninja?" I snorted, my reaction causing his brows to rise.

"Well, I was kind of tricked into enrolling at the academy, actually… I dunno. Being a kunoichi hasn't ever really been on the agenda." he hummed thoughtfully, and had opened his mouth to retort before the door was abruptly thrown open, in walking Shisui, Kyo trailing close behind him.

"You're going to apologize to her _right now_ , Shisui!" Kabuto and I shared a confused look, the exchange in front of us causing everyone inhabiting the house to drop what they were doing and flee to the sitting room. Itachi emerged from the kitchen, having been fretting over his mother like always before his best friend made his grand entrance.

"I didn't say anything that wasn't true!" their eyes locked together, the tension between them nearly tangible. Inori stumbled through the doorway, her hand outstretched as she fastened it around Kyo's forearm.

"Kyo, _please_ , don't make a scene. It's _fine_." the man's eyes drifted around the room, visible signs of his anger disappearing at the sight of his worried friends. He shot Shisui another look, who was glaring up at his father with the same defiant, unyielding expression.

"…we'll discuss this later, Shisui. And I _expect_ an apology." Inori looked between the two conflicting males, visibly deflating when they both stalked off in separate directions. I sank back down into a sitting position with a sigh, the urge to chastise the boy nearly unbearable as he sat down adjacent from me. Inori lingered in the doorway until being escorted into the kitchen by Kushina, who whispered something in the woman's ear as they disappeared from view.

"Shisui, what was that-" Itachi's question was interrupted by Shisui's solemn expression; one lacking the fight it had held only moments before. He didn't question him any further, and settled on taking a seat next to him instead.

"Do you want to play, Shisui?" I asked the boy, after we had been sitting in silence for nearly five agonizingly slow minutes. He met my stare, and after maintaining eye contact for a moment, lowered his gaze and shook his head. I wrapped my arm tentatively around his shoulders, and instantly, he rested his head against the side of my arm. I played a one handed game of Hana Awase with Itachi and Kabuto, and kept my arm secured around Shisui until dinner. The meal's conversation was primarily fueled by alcohol, something I desperately wished I could drown in at the moment.

I had taken to the back patio after Kabuto had left, as alone time after so much social interaction was something I desperately needed. It was a full moon tonight, its all-consuming, scintillating gleam almost blinding.

"Do you look at the stars often, Hanami-chan?" I turned away from the dappled night sky as the sound of Inori's voice filled the patio. I spared her a glance and shrugged, and turned my attention back to the endless sea of black before me.

"Yeah, sometimes." she took another step forward until she was positioned at my right, the overwhelming scent of lilies permeating my senses. Her slender features strung at something in my memory, but I shrugged it off. She must just have one of those faces.

"I do, whenever I feel alone. The stars just remind me that there's something else out there, I suppose." she bent herself forward, propped her crossed arms over the patio railing, and directed her attention to where I stood. It was then I noticed her eyes were slightly crossed and glossed over, a tell-tale sign of intoxication. _Sigh_. If I only I was of legal age.

"…how much sake did you drink at dinner, Inori-san?" she hummed to herself, and drummed her finger tips along the length of her forearm. The small, playful smile that had been tugging at her lips fell as she sighed through her nostrils.

"I thought it would make me feel better. It didn't." didn't I know the feeling. Inori blew a strand of hair out of her line of vision with a steady stream of breath, and afterwards, collapsed onto the wooden deck. Unsure of how to respond, I followed suit, and pulled my knees to my chest in the process.

"Uh… what happened earlier, anyway?" out of all of the years I had known Shisui, I hadn't seen him or Kyo argue- _ever_. It was as rare of an occurrence as Kakashi going without his mask. Shisui on any normal day was just as buoyant and lighthearted as Naruto, or Obito. But anyone treading on territory that he had previously established as his own made that switch flip, and abruptly. Like with Itachi when I came in the picture, and now with his father and Inori. I suppose I'd just have to pass on the knowledge I had gained from being his friend onto her, as she would need it, should she plan on remaining in Kyo's life any longer.

She sighed, and after a moment, lifted her eyes up to meet mine. "We were walking over here before dinner, and some woman on the street commented on how beautiful of a family we were. Shisui… he just _exploded_ , for lack of a better term. He went off about how I wasn't his mother, how I wasn't Kyo's wife… then he ran off before Kyo or I could catch him. He really hates me. He really, truly _despises_ me."

"It's not so much that he hates you, as he just doesn't know you." she quirked a brow, so I continued. "He was the same way with me when I first became friends with Itachi. He didn't know me, and I was taking Itachi away from him, sort of. You just have to sit him down and talk it out. He'll be fine." a contemplative frown was posted to her lips, and a bout of thoughtful silence fell between us. From beyond the sliding door that led back into the house, I heard the sound of Minato and Kizashi's drunken laughter, and a smile pulled at my lips.

"I… I r- _really_ like Kyo. If I could stay with him forever, I…" she shook her head once, some of her brassy hair falling from the pins she had clipped them back with. "I don't know _why_ I'm confiding in you like this." I shrugged one shoulder, the sleeve of my shirt rubbing against the side of her arm as I did so.

"It's fine. We all do questionable things when intoxicated." like accidental drowning, perhaps. "And, you know, I don't see anything beyond Shisui stopping you from staying with Kyo forever, if you wanted to. Except for death, but…" my sentence trailed off as a somber mask overcame Inori's expression, the reserved look in her eyes that I had first been introduced to returning with a vengeance.

"You're mature beyond your years, but still so innocently wishful. It's an unfortunate quality." my mouth fell open, a response unable to reach my tongue. She stood, just as Shisui appeared in the doorway, Itachi behind him as he coaxed the older boy into the patio. I looked between my best friends and Inori, whose expression was fixed with shock. Shisui's cheeks were blisteringly red as he approached Inori, stopping about a foot in front of the petite woman.

"I'm… I'm sorry for earlier." for the first time since they had arrived, Shisui looked the older woman in the eye with an unwavering stare. Itachi and I exchanged a quick look, and made our exit just as Kyo joined his son and girlfriend outside.

"How'd you get him out there, anyway?" I questioned dubiously, after we had slid the door shut behind us. A smile spread over his lips, one that caused a slight dimple to form on his cheek.

"I just reminded him about how he was with you when you two first met, is all." I nodded, unable to decide what direction my emotions were being pulled in at Inori's words. I wasn't sure what was more unsettling; the tone of her voice, or that torpid look that had cascaded all of the life in her eyes. But I chose not to pay these conflicting feelings any mind, especially as all three of them reentered the kitchen, their expressions noticeably less stiff than before.

•

 **UGGGH THIS CHAPTER WAS SUCH A BITCH TO WRIIITTTE. That's why it's so short, like last chapter. I'm happy with how it turned out in the end, but it went in so many directions at first and my brain is officially** _ **numb**_ **. Anyway, I would just like to give a heads up that there probably won't be anything told from Hanami's perspective next chapter, for a few reasons. Mainly because there's a lot of things I want to cover that can't be narrated by her, so that'll be something different. Now, about** _ **this**_ **chapter; I had been planning on Gai taking on the role of her sensei for a while now. I'm not sure why, but Gai and Lee are two of my favorite characters from the series, and I really wanted to include them somehow in New Perspective. Also, it just feels right.**

 **Fun Fact: Hanami's adult design is inspired pretty heavily by Samantha Wright, a female body builder. If you don't know who she is, look her up. She's so cute it kind of hurts a little.**


	26. Chapter 26:

•

 **Chapter Twenty-four: Wherein the paperwork is never ending, Kakashi gets a clue, and the author is forever apologetic for the wait (and of course, for the short chapter).**

•

 **"...I wasn't sure what was more unsettling; the tone of her voice, or that torpid look that had cascaded all of the life in her eyes. "**

 **Minato**

There wasn't a time in my career that I could recall where I wasn't the one responsible for any and all paperwork given to my squad. Even during my time as a genin, Jiraiya-sensei could hardly ever be bothered with formalities such as paper and pencil, so I was usually left to the task that was a good three hours' worth of continuous writing after each mission. I don't know what calloused my hands more; kunai, or pen.

That aspect of my life was inescapable, even more so now as Hokage. My sleepless eyes wandered to the clock adjacent from my desk, groaning at the realization I had been swamped with paperwork now for well over fifteen hours. When had I last been home? I could hardly remember. The only thing that fogged my thoughts were the papers in front of me, the words strewn across them causing a headache so severe it was a wonder I was still conscious.

I huffed heavily, finally coming upon the last of the thick, tacked together piles of paperwork, only to move onto the newest of a series of scrolls from my currently incognito, former sensei. Jiraiya had left the village twenty-nine days ago, tasked with following a lead he had received from a spy stationed in Kiri. Everything about the Sanbi's disappearance was mind boggling; the security they kept around their currently unsealed Tailed Beast, as was every Hidden Village's, was air tight. The battle in which it went missing had only one Kirigakure platoon stationed- meaning more shinobi would've been present in the village at the time of the abduction. It would've taken a Sannin or someone as equally overpowered to breech security. Moreover, something as serious and war-prolonging as a missing tailed beast would cause a bigger shitstorm than anyone was prepared for. Yet, the Mizukage had remained quiet. His troops were withdrawing at the same pace as the rest of us. In fact, from what Jiraiya had gathered, the people of Kiri hadn't a clue the Sanbi wasn't still in the possession of their village.

All of this amounts to one loud, exasperated, _"What the hell?"_ Was this some kind of cover-up; and if so, for what- or for whom? The endless musings were enough to make me want to bang my head against some sort of solid surface and maybe punch someone in the face afterwards. I raked my nails through my hair and along the surface of my scalp, pausing once an almost completely undetectable signature of chakra, which I knew almost as well as the back of my hand, entered the vicinity. A single knock on the surface of the window, almost as subtle as his presence, sounded throughout the small room before he entered. Seeing Kakashi in full ANBU uniform was something I was still becoming used to. If possible, it seemed to make his demeanor even more gravely.

"Hokage-sama." he said with a formal bow, the gesture nearly making me bust out into laughter, if I had the energy for it. I can't count the times I had reiterated that I am and _always_ will be "sensei" to this boy. Maybe I'd have to file it under Lost Causes, right next to getting Hanami to stop cursing and Obito to chew with his mouth closed. I leaned forward and placed my chin onto my entwined fingers, and offered him a halfhearted smile as a greeting. I was maybe five minutes from passing out. Hopefully what he had to tell me wouldn't surpass three hundred seconds.

From the weapon holster on his thigh, he produced a scroll. With one seamless motion, he tossed it in my direction, my fingers wrapping around it with less effort than I had anticipated. Sleep deprivation typically hindered your senses. Then again, there had been several instances where I had knocked out a hundred shinobi with one hand running on a little less than an hour of sleep. Not like I'm bragging, or anything.

I unrolled the document, momentarily scanning my eyes over the words before sighing. No developments. I pinched my fingers around the bridge of my nose and allowed my shoulders to slack. At this rate, I'll have a head of hair just as grey as Kakashi. I exhaled a long breath through my nostrils, and turned my gaze back to the young Jōnin. His hands were dug into his pockets, and some of the rigidness from his posture had receded. Although his expression was hidden, I knew he was as impassive as ever.

"I'm assuming you received no new information." I nodded, and he shifted his stance from one foot to the other. Silence filled the room again, but it wasn't uncomfortable. "... Kushina made me shop for baby clothes yesterday. And... he was kicking, a lot. I felt it for the first time today. It was strange." despite everything, I couldn't hold back the grin that felt like it would nearly split my face in half. It was bittersweet; I was missing all of these moments, and was instead giving myself premature wrinkles and a likely brain aneurysm. But this was in the job description, after all.

"... _Nothing_ will happen to her, Minato-sensei." And he was absolutely right. That is, _if_ there is even a target on her back to begin with.

"I know, Kakashi. I have complete faith in you and your squad..." The lack of sleep coupled with endless aggravation and worry finally caught up to me, apparently, as my sentence trailed off into a yawn that caused my eyes to water. _Dammit_. I looked back to the clock, as the hour went from ten to eleven in the morning. Officially sixteen hours had been spent in this chair, the only thing fueling my existence being nine cups of cold coffee and unadulterated, sheer determination. Between this and fatherhood, I might as well say goodbye to a having decent eight hours, ever again.

"You need sleep, Hokage-sama." Kakashi remarked, as he strode back over to my office window and began undoing the latch. I sighed pointedly, and swiveled around in my desk chair to face him.

"So, it's 'Hokage-sama' again? I'm still the same person I've always been." I tried to feign exasperation, but at this point, there was very little I was able to convey without sloshing my words and crossing my eyes from utter exhaustion, so the sarcasm probably didn't read well. Or maybe it did, because he knows me just as well as I know him. Kakashi scoffed, and faced me again as he prepared to leap from the window sill.

"Get some sleep, _Minato-sensei_." and before I could remind him of how there was such a thing as doors, he was gone. Shaking my head with a grin still firmly planted on my expression, I relaxed back in my chair. Maybe I could just doze off for an hour, and no one would be the wiser...

"Hokage-sama?" I hadn't even noticed my secretary knock on my door or her entrence. She stood timidly in the doorway, a fresh stack of papers begging to be read and signed- over and over again until I keel over.

 _Great_.

•

 **Kakashi**

…I was truly beginning to wonder if my time in the ANBU would amount to more than the role of a glorified babysitter. Essentially spying on the Hokage's... _Minato-sensei's_ wife is about as dull as being paid below minimum wage to paint a wooden fence, then spending the rest of the afternoon watching it dry. Shopping with her was an event in of itself, however, and the looks we received were annoying, but easy to ignore. I'd put up with her because I had to, and because she meant something to me. But that doesn't imply that I'll enjoy myself.

She was home now, tucked into bed on account of swollen ankles and projectile vomiting. The seven bowls of ramen she downed weren't even digested before they were covering my shoes and the side of a nearby building. In conjunction with that, carrying a seven month pregnant woman from one end of the village to another is _not_ a simple task. Especially when she's threatening to puke again, along with passing gas the entire way. This has not been one of my better days.

Crane, Rabbit and several other members of my squad were watching over her at the moment. I took this time to actually _breathe_ for the first time that day, taking off my mask and resisting the urge to chuck it afterwards. The Three-tails, Kushina, the war, and thinking about that _damn brat_ practically had me pulling my hair from my scalp by the handfuls. But, rule number twenty-seven of shinobi conduct; above all else, keep your composure. That was _not_ something I intended on defying, today or any other. I leaned further into the shadow the building offered me, and for once, slid the cloth down that covered my face and enjoyed the feeling of the fresh air as it greeted my skin. I inhaled deeply, but the moment was cut abruptly short as the sound of incoming villagers reached my ears. In an instant, my face was once again concealed.

I placed my hands in my pockets, and kept to the blanketed back alleys of Konoha as I made my way to my destination. It's almost liberating to not be in a rush, but after keeping up a leisurely pace for a moment, I quicken my stride. Call it a habit. The walk was short and sweet, exactly how I liked to keep things. I jumped soundlessly to the highest branch of the nearest tree, and watched the sparring session unfold below me.

Gai's gaze shifted in my direction momentarily, curtly nodding his head once. However, this wasn't the distraction Hanami had been hoping for, apparently, as he darted smoothly out of the spot she had aimed her fist. With each movement, her chest heaved harshly, and even from here, I could almost see her muscles twitching. Her movements were sloppy and uncoordinated, but still were a vast improvement from the first day she had approached me. She was... coming along, I suppose. Slowly, but surely. After several moments of labored breathing and pointed glares, she bent forward and placed her hands on her bandaged knees. I furrowed my brows. You can't _seriously_ be giving up _now_ , you brat.

"Should we wrap things up for today, Hanami-chan?" Gai approached her almost tentatively, and retracted his hand with frown once she had rudely shaken it off of her shoulder. Her knees buckled beneath her, and soon, she was seated with her legs pulled to her chest. I knew they had only been out here for a half hour. Her endurance should have improved by now.

"F...fuck _no_. Just... Give me a minute. Or five." she ran her hand down the length of her face, then through her dampened, short locks of hair. Gai offered her a canteen, which she feverishly drained the contents of. I leaned my back against the tree, my eyes remaining on my former teammate's sister. I wouldn't exactly be surprised if she fainted. Her breathing finally evened after nearly ten minutes, and Gai joined her slouched position in the grass. My attention was so fixed on the duo that I hardly noticed the branches of the tree across from me rustle, then a black mass lurch down and dart off into the forest surrounding the training ground.

My brows rose, then lowered. I was a seasoned shinobi. Even the smallest or the most well-disguised chakra signatures did _not_ fly under my radar. If they did, I hardly had the right to be donning this mask, or the hitai-ate that remained tucked away in my kunai pouch. But... whatever _that_ was, had gone completely unnoticed until it had moved. Also to be said about shinobi; we were inherently suspicious. I looked back to Hanami, who with much difficulty, had stood again and resumed a proper fighting stance. I lingered longer than I should have, feeling a sense of pride that her blows were carried out more cleanly and swiftly than they were before, regardless if they landed on her target or not.

It would probably take half a century, but she'd get there.

I darted through and around the trees, following the faint signature of chakra as it sped through the branches in front of me. My hand twitched next to my kunai pouch, but I refrained from withdrawing a weapon, for the moment. My mind was quickly changed, however, when a shuriken was aimed at the center of my forehead. I deflected it with the metal plate along my forearm, and tossed aside any reservations I might've had. They turned their body around, a mid-air battle of back-and-forth kunai and shuriken ensuing. After one of my kunai had finally been imbedded into their left shoulder, they turned forward, and attempted, yet again, to outrun me.

This was getting _old._

They thought they were fast, but I was faster. _Much_ faster. In an instant, I was next to the cloaked figure, one hand wound tightly around their right bicep, the other slashing a kunai along the underside of their left arm. I hurtled their body to the ground below us, and landed next to their lifeless form. Covered in black from head to toe, the person's face was covered with a blank white mask, a red, eye-like shape situated in the middle of their forehead. My eye twitched as the seconds ticked on, the person at my feet remaining motionless. The urge to jam my foot into their side was nearly unbearable.

They weren't dead, that much was certain. But what wasn't, was why they had been spying on a below average, unimpressive five year old's pitiful attempt at a sparring match. I took a single step toward them, pausing as the body, quite literally, evaporated in a puff of grey smoke. Substitution. _Of course_. The wind picked up leaves and carried them in the air around me as I further approached the spot they had landed. I bent down, my eyes widening at the object left behind from the dismissed substitution. A white rabbit the length of my hand, meticulously carved from wood with such detail I thought for a moment that it might come alive in my palm, was all that remained of them. I stared at it, like I somehow expected to receive answers from a chunk of wood. I sighed, then pocketed the figurine, but made no move to leave the seemingly vacant section of woods. Like I or the Hokage needed any more reason to have a migraine. I scanned my eyes over my surroundings, felt for every signature of chakra within my reach, then turned on my heel and leapt back up into the trees. Part of me was being tugged into the direction of Minato and Kushina's apartment, the other half urging myself to the Hokage's office, for the second time that day. But I wasn't one for indecisiveness; my mind was made up, and my feet carried me to my destination without pause.

Kushina would have to wait.

•

 **Wow, three damn months. It'll probably take even longer for me to get back into the habit of writing, as this chapter took over a week to write, with little to show for it. I guess I'm fine with how it turned out. Meh. I had most of the plot laid out in a note on my worn down, centuries old iPod that was tragically left to die and rot once I got a phone and now refuses to charge, so I'm admittedly a bit lost plot wise, again. I had so many things cohesively planned out that for the life of me, I can't remember, at all. I'll hopefully be writing more; I haven't been at all for these last three months, as school has just been top priority. Which has paid off, considering I have all A's and B's, which hasn't happened since probably sixth grade. I** _ **desperately**_ **need to rewrite a lot of stuff and add things here and there, so that'll happen before another update does. Probably.**

 **Also, I made an instagram. I also don't post there terribly often, but it has some drawings of Hanami posted there if you're curious on what she looks like. Trying not to sound too self promo-y, but check it out if you want. I'm a lot less official there, meaning no words are capitalized and I over use embarrassing internet slang. It's childishmandino if you feel inclined to check it out.**

 **Fun Fact: I'll be seventeen November seventh. Woo hoo.**


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